Study suggests Jupiter’s moon is covered with giant spiky ice towers

Scientists have been planning to land on one of Jupiter’s moon, Europa. However, this might not be possible in near future since a new discovery shows that the moon is full of meters-long ice blades.

In a new study published in journal Nature Geoscience, scientists claim that they have discovered evidence of large, jagged ‘ice spikes’ on one of Jupiter’s many moons, Europa, some of those spikes as tall as 50ft. The study clearly stated that the spikes would ‘pose a hazard to any future space mission landing on the moon’.

According to Phys.org, the ice spikes could be like the ‘penitentes’ that are pointy ice formations around several meters tall found on Earth.

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“In extreme cold and dry conditions on Earth, such as those encountered in the Andes, the sun’s rays can cause parts of the ice and snow to undergo sublimation – becoming water vapor without melting first,” the study read. This process leaves behind unique, blade-like formations called penitentes.

Though the spikes have not been seen on the moon, yet the study suggests that Europa likely undergoes a similar process. Evidence of penitentes have been seen on Pluto as well, adding in to the fact that such jagged terrain might be common on icy worlds such as Europa.

Since Europa has lower gravity and no atmosphere, it is much colder and much drier, suggesting that it’s spikes could be close as about 25ft apart, creating a ‘treacherous terrain’ for potential landing craft. Over Europa’s lifetime, the spikes could reach heights of 15 meters, reported New Scientist.

Since Europa comprises subsurface ocean, it a potential candidate to contain extraterrestrial life, as per NASA. Hence, NASA has targeted the gas giant’s moon to land a space mission named Europa Clipper that is scheduled to launch in the 2020s.

“Beneath the icy surface of Europa is perhaps the most promising place to look for present-day environments suitable for life,” NASA said.