NEW WORLDS

Hubble Space Telescope Spots Water Vapor on Jupiter’s Moon

Hubble Space Telescope spots water vapor.

Image from the Hubble Space Telescope may show "water vapor plumes erupting" on the surface of Europa, Jupiter's moon, NASA publicized on Monday. Europa's ocean is considered to be one of the most promising places that could potentially harbor life in the solar system," acting associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington, Geoff Yoder, said in a statement. Instead of having to drill through miles of ice to test Europa's ocean, these images suggest that missions to the planetary body may be able to access ocean samples more easily. "This observation opens up a world of possibilities," said Paul Hertz, director of NASA Headquarters' Astrophysics division.