Oxygen on Jupiter's moon Europa proved to be insufficient for life

A new study based on data from NASA's Juno mission indicates a possible lack of oxygen on Jupiter's icy moon Europa. Scientists used data from the Jovian Auroral Distributions Experiment (JADE) instrument to measure hydrogen emissions from the moon's surface and estimate the amount of oxygen produced.

Here's What We Know

The results showed that the amount of oxygen produced on Europa is significantly less than previously thought - just 26 pounds every second, compared to previous estimates of up to 2,000 pounds per second.

This discovery casts doubt on the possibility of life on Jupiter's moon. "Europa has a liquid water ocean beneath its icy crust, but Jupiter's magnetic field and radiation belts neutralise particles that break down the ice into hydrogen and oxygen. Given the low amount of oxygen, the chances of life on the satellite are reduced.

The principal investigator of the Juno mission, emphasised that this is just the beginning and there is still a lot of work to be done for further research.

Source: Nature Astronomy