Overview
- Researchers report that a fresh look at Hubble data drops the claimed detection confidence for Europa’s water plumes from 99.9% to below 90%.
- The team reanalyzed Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph observations of Lyman-alpha, a UV glow from hydrogen that can trace split water, spanning data from 1999 and 2012–2020.
- Small uncertainties in where Europa fell on Hubble’s detector by even a pixel or two can skew the view and create features that look like plumes.
- The authors say the apparent signal could be statistical noise, so the current dataset no longer counts as firm evidence of water venting.
- The study also refines measurements of neutral hydrogen in Europa’s thin atmosphere and points to NASA’s Europa Clipper in 2030 to test for active vents up close.