Jupiter moon thought to be habitable may be oxygen starvedJupiter's moon Europa. Now, astronomers have nailed down how much of the molecule gets made at the icy moon’s surface, which could be a source of oxygen for the waters below. Because the molecule is so light, all of the hydrogen produced at Europa’s surface floats high into the atmosphere. The team found that about 13 to 40 pounds of oxygen is generated each second by Europa’s surface. Though the flyby lasted only a few minutes, it was the first time the composition of plasma near Europa’s atmosphere was directly measured.

Source: New York Times March 05, 2024 04:59 UTC