NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has the best evidence yet for an underground saltwater ocean on Ganymede, Jupiter's largest moon. The subterranean¹ ocean is thought to have more water than all the water on Earth's surface. Identifying liquid water is crucial in the search for habitable worlds beyond Earth and for the search for life, as we know it.

 

"This discovery marks a significant milestone², highlighting what only Hubble can accomplish," said John Grunsfeld, assistant administrator³ of NASA's Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. "In its 25 years in orbit, Hubble has made many scientific discoveries in our own solar system. A deep ocean under the icy crust of Ganymede opens up further exciting possibilities for life beyond Earth."

 

Ganymede is the largest moon in our solar system and the only moon with its own magnetic field. The magnetic field causes aurorae⁴, which are ribbons of glowing, hot electrified⁵ gas, in regions circling the north and south poles of the moon. Because Ganymede is close to Jupiter, it is also embedded⁶ in Jupiter's magnetic field. When Jupiter's magnetic field changes, the aurorae on Ganymede also change, "rocking" back and forth⁷.

 

By watching the rocking motion of the two aurorae, scientists were able to determine that a large amount of saltwater exists beneath Ganymede's crust, affecting its magnetic field.

 

A team of scientists led by Joachim Saur of the University of Cologne in Germany came up with the idea of using Hubble to learn more about the inside of the moon.

 

"I was always brainstorming⁸ how we could use a telescope in other ways," said Saur. "Is there a way you could use a telescope to look inside a planetary body? Then I thought, the aurorae! Because aurorae are controlled by the magnetic field, if you observe the aurorae in an appropriate way, you learn something about the magnetic field. If you know the magnetic field, then you know something about the moon's interior."

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