NASA's James Webb Telescope found carbon dioxide on Jupiter's Moon
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With the help of data collected by NASA's James Webb Telescope, scientists have found the presence of carbon dioxide on Jupiter's Moon called Europa.
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In a new discovery, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has yet again collected data that has surprised everyone and this time it is on Jupiter's moon called Europa.
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Europa is known to be one of the largest Jupiter’s Moon and it's the sixth closest moon to the planet.
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It is known for its icy properties, however, now the James Webb Telescope has found some interesting data that has stunned scientists.
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According to space.com, JWST's Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) instrument collected some data on the icy planet which indicates the presence of carbon dioxide.
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According to reports, scientists with the help of JWST data, found the presence of carbon dioxide at the Tara Regio region of Europa.
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Experts say the carbon molecules are not part of any meteorite impact or other external force. Which indicates that it is naturally present on Jupiter’s Moon.
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It was known that Europa had salty ocean water, however, they were not aware of carbon dioxide or any other chemical substance that can preserve life.
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Geronimo Villanueva of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center said, “Understanding the chemistry of Europa's ocean will help us determine whether it's hostile to life as we know it, or if it might be a good place for life.”
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Tara Regio is a geologically young and resurfaced area which indicates subsurface-ocean interaction as per collected data.
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To get more in-depth information, NASA will be launching Europa Clipper mission late in 2024.