ESSENTIAL COMPONENT OF LIFE - WATER BEYOND EARTH

ARTICLE FOR THE CHILLY SEASON :

Winter is here !

Let’s talk about some ice business !

We have a lot of water and ice here on earth but there is a lot more when you go to other planets and their moons. Although we have not found this on most of the planet's moons yet, believing in the possibility that they have water cannot be left out.

THE ESSENTIAL COMPONENT FOR EXISTENCE :

One of the most important components required for life is water. It promotes life in its own ways. One of the essential components for existence of life on this planet is water. Since water is a universal solvent complex organism are able to transfer the food and minerals through water. Water is essential for agriculture, to stabilize temperature, transportation and maintaining life on Earth.

WATER BEYOND EARTH - EUROPA :

When astronomers search for life on other planets or moons, they usually look for signs of water vapour and organic molecules on the planet’s surface.

Jupiter’s moon Europa is more likely to bear life. It's an icy world out there with everything frozen at the surface; but deep down, there might be liquid water with microorganisms thriving in it. This is the reason scientists have estimated that Europa may sustain life.

WATER VAPOUR :

It is not known if Europa has liquid water on its surface and scientists have found the next best form of water - water vapour. A team of researchers in Hawaii have found traces of water vapour rising from the geysers on the surface of Europa. This study was done using a spectrograph installed in a telescope in Hawaii. Their study quoted : “The geysers contain enough water to fill an Olympic size swimming pool within minutes”. A geyser is like a fountain rising beneath the planet’s surface. On these frozen worlds they're also known as cryovolcanos. Water molecules emit particular wavelengths of infrared light which act like fingerprints of the molecule which make them unique. If we detect this spectrum, we can easily identify the molecule.

There is a possibility that the source of the geyser is Jupiter’s magnetic field and that particular environment favours the growth of microorganisms. So there are chances that Europa might harbour marine life under its surface and if it does, then we won’t be the only life existing in the universe anymore and that’s really cool !

- Kirti Jadhav

@the_orphic_astrophile