Jupiter’s moon Europa has long tantalized scientists with its potential for harboring life, thanks to its vast ocean beneath an icy crust. Now, the Juno mission to Jupiter has provided new insights by directly sampling Europa’s atmosphere, shedding light on its habitability.
The findings, published in Nature Astronomy, challenge previous assumptions about Europa’s oxygen levels. Despite being considered one of the most promising candidates for extraterrestrial life, Europa’s surface produces less oxygen than initially thought.
While Europa’s subsurface ocean contains twice as much water as Earth’s oceans, its icy surface generates an atmosphere rich in oxygen, observed through telescope observations. Additionally, intermittent plumes of water erupt from the ocean, hinting at potential habitability.
The Juno mission’s charged particle instruments allowed for detailed measurements of Europa’s atmosphere. These measurements confirmed the presence of pickup molecular oxygen and hydrogen ions from the surface and atmosphere, shedding light on the moon’s atmospheric dynamics.
Surprisingly, the study revealed that Europa’s surface produces only about 12kg of oxygen per second, significantly lower than previous estimates. This suggests minimal erosion of the surface, with Europa constantly losing oxygen through pickup processes.
While some oxygen may reach Europa’s subsurface ocean, nourishing potential life, the study indicates a lower rate of oxygen transfer than previously thought. Future missions, including NASA’s Europa Clipper and the Juice mission, will provide further insights into Europa’s habitability and atmospheric dynamics.
As scientists continue to unravel the mysteries of Europa, these new findings underscore the importance of exploring its potential for hosting life beyond Earth.
