If you were to look up at the sky and wonder about the icy moons of Jupiter, you might be surprised to learn that one of them, Europa, is a hub of oxygen production. Imagine this: every 24 hours, Europa generates a whopping 1,000 tons of oxygen – enough to sustain a million humans breathing for an entire day.
Recently, scientists from NASA's Juno mission embarked on a journey to Jupiter, focusing on Europa. They set out to determine just how much oxygen this icy moon churns out. Their findings, published in Nature Astronomy on March 4, shed new light on Europa's oxygen production. Using data collected by the spacecraft's Jovian Auroral Distributions Experiment (JADE) instrument, they calculated that Europa's oxygen production rate is significantly lower than previously thought. Instead of the hefty estimates ranging from a few pounds to over 2,000 pounds per second, they found it to be around 26 pounds every second.
The scientists believe that some of this oxygen might seep into Europa's subsurface ocean, potentially serving as a source of metabolic energy. Europa, with its equatorial diameter of 1,940 miles, is the fourth largest moon of Jupiter and holds a vast internal ocean beneath its icy exterior. Scientists are intrigued by the possibility of life-supporting conditions existing beneath Europa's icy surface.
But what makes Europa's oxygen production particularly fascinating is its interaction with Jupiter's radiation belts. Positioned within these belts, Europa gets bombarded by charged particles from Jupiter. These particles split water molecules on the moon's surface, generating oxygen that could eventually find its way into its ocean.
According to Jamey Szalay, a scientist involved in the JADE project, Europa resembles an ice ball slowly losing its water under the impact of a stream of ionized particles. The entire ice shell continuously erodes as charged particles break up water-ice molecules, producing hydrogen and oxygen.
During a close encounter with Europa on September 29, 2022, NASA's Juno spacecraft identified and measured hydrogen and oxygen ions created by these charged particles. These observations provided valuable insights into Europa's atmosphere and its interaction with Jupiter's environment.
As NASA's Juno mission continues its exploration, scientists eagerly anticipate further discoveries. Juno's observations have paved the way for future missions like Europa Clipper, which aims to investigate Europa's habitability and potential for life. With each new revelation, our understanding of the icy moons of Jupiter grows, offering glimpses into the mysteries of our solar system.
Icy moon