Under its bright, frosty shell, Jupiter’s moon Europa is thought to harbor a salty ocean, making it a world that might be one of the most habitable places in our solar system.
Using data from NASA’s Juno mission, the results, published on Monday in the journal Nature Astronomy, suggest that the frozen world generates less oxygen than some astronomers may have hoped for.
If so, it could mix with volcanic material from the seafloor, creating “a chemical soup that may end up making life,” said Fran Bagenal, a planetary scientist at the University of Colorado Boulder.
The Juno orbiter, which launched in 2011 to discover what lies beneath Jupiter’s thick veil of clouds, is now on an extended mission exploring the planet’s rings and moons.
Studying Europa’s atmosphere is “an important puzzle piece in learning about the moon as a system,” said Carl Schmidt, a planetary scientist at Boston University who was not involved in the work.
The European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, expected to arrive at the Jovian system in 2031, aims to confirm the existence and size of Europa’s ocean.
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Under its bright, frosty shell, Jupiter’s moon Europa is thought to harbor a salty ocean, making it a world that might be one of the most habitable places in our solar system.
Using data from NASA’s Juno mission, the results, published on Monday in the journal Nature Astronomy, suggest that the frozen world generates less oxygen than some astronomers may have hoped for.
If so, it could mix with volcanic material from the seafloor, creating “a chemical soup that may end up making life,” said Fran Bagenal, a planetary scientist at the University of Colorado Boulder.
The Juno orbiter, which launched in 2011 to discover what lies beneath Jupiter’s thick veil of clouds, is now on an extended mission exploring the planet’s rings and moons.
Studying Europa’s atmosphere is “an important puzzle piece in learning about the moon as a system,” said Carl Schmidt, a planetary scientist at Boston University who was not involved in the work.
The European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, expected to arrive at the Jovian system in 2031, aims to confirm the existence and size of Europa’s ocean.
The original article contains 728 words, the summary contains 184 words. Saved 75%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!