Is Europa, Jupiter's ocean moon, the final haven for life once the sun dies? Here's what a recent study shows
The sun will become a red giant and wipe out Earth in roughly 4.5 billion years. The cold moons of the outer solar system may provide humanity a fleeting chance to survive, while new science offers us a glimpse of a distant, dying future.
Europa
, one of Jupiter's moons, might serve as a temporary safe haven.
Researchers at Cornell University's Carl Sagan Institute reached this conclusion and published their findings in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
How does the red giant sun affect Europa?
The sun will reach the end of its life cycle in roughly 4.5 billion years. Its hydrogen fusion core will grow, inflating the star's outer atmosphere to enormous proportions. It will enlarge and turn into a red giant star, burning up Earth and swallowing up Venus and Mercury, as per a report by Space.
As the sun enters this new stage of life, the habitable zone, the region where the radiation influx is just right to support liquid water on a planet's surface, will gradually move outward.
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While Jupiter remains an inhospitable giant ball of gas, some of its moons could potentially lead to a habitable planet.
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Can Europa's oceans survive the heat?
Europa, the ice-covered moon of Jupiter, will receive a lot of heat. Jupiter will become hotter and reflect more sunlight, which will give the small moon its own source of heat besides the giant sun's pressure.
The scientists discovered that the oceans below will evaporate while the icy outer shell sublimates. Because it will receive the most heat, the side of Europa facing Jupiter will experience the most sublimation, as per a report by Space.
On the anti-Jupiter side of Europa, the rate of water loss will be slower in the northern and southern latitudes. According to the researchers, this might produce a thin layer of water vapor that lasts for 200 million years or more.
What are the chances of finding life or biosignatures?
The researchers discovered that biosignatures may be detectable on icy moons of red giant stars. Although there are a number of promising candidates, we have not yet detected any exomoons with certainty.
The resolving power to investigate these moons' atmospheric features may come from future observations using the James Webb Space Telescope or the proposed Habitable Worlds Observatory. Even though the likelihood of finding life is narrow, it does expand the range of potential places for our search because there might still be refuges around almost-dead stars.
FAQs
Can life survive on Europa if the sun turns red giant?
Yes, but only for a short time up to 200 million years in isolated areas where water loss is slower.
What makes Europa a viable refuge for life in the far future?
Its underground oceans and temporary water vapor atmosphere may provide brief habitable conditions.
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