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Salts

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Europa's Dark Side Might Glow Colorfully, Revealing Ocean Clues
space19 days ago

Europa's Dark Side Might Glow Colorfully, Revealing Ocean Clues

Lab experiments simulating Europa’s icy surface show that high-energy electrons can energize salts in the ice to emit faint visible light—green, blue, or white—on the moon’s night side. The glow depends on composition and radiation, offering a potential chemical map of surface salts and, indirectly, clues about the subsurface ocean. It’s not a direct ocean readout, and the signal could be faint or variable, but Europa Clipper may test whether such nightside emission exists and helps link surface chemistry to the hidden ocean.

via Space Daily|
#europa#ocean#radiation
"Unveiling the Secrets of Ganymede's Mysterious Ocean"
space2 years ago

"Unveiling the Secrets of Ganymede's Mysterious Ocean"

NASA's Juno mission has detected salts and organic compounds on Jupiter's moon Ganymede, providing strong evidence of a subsurface ocean beneath its icy crust. The salts and organics suggest an endogenic origin, possibly rising from the depths of Ganymede through cracks in the surface. While the presence of organics does not guarantee the presence of life, it raises the possibility of Ganymede's potential to support life. Further research is needed to determine the exact origin of the compounds and the extent of Ganymede's ocean.

via Ars Technica|
#astrobiology#ganymede#juno-mission
Juno's Discovery: Organic Compounds and Potential Alien Life on Ganymede
space2 years ago

Juno's Discovery: Organic Compounds and Potential Alien Life on Ganymede

NASA's Juno spacecraft, during its flyby of Jupiter's moon Ganymede in 2021, has discovered the presence of mineral salts and organic compounds on the moon's surface. The high-resolution spectroscopic observations made by Juno's Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) spectrometer revealed the presence of hydrated sodium chloride, ammonium chloride, sodium bicarbonate, and possibly aliphatic aldehyde. These findings provide insights into Ganymede's formation and the composition of its deep subsurface ocean. The localized distribution of these compounds suggests that Ganymede's magnetic field shields them from surrounding radiation. Further investigations by upcoming missions like ESA's JUICE and NASA's Europa Clipper will provide more detailed observations of Ganymede and other icy moons in Jupiter's system.

via NASASpaceflight.com|
#ganymede#juno#organic-compounds
Juno Discovers Salts and Organics on Ganymede's Surface
space2 years ago

Juno Discovers Salts and Organics on Ganymede's Surface

NASA's Juno mission has discovered mineral salts and organic compounds on the surface of Jupiter's moon Ganymede. The Jovian InfraRed Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) spectrometer aboard the spacecraft collected data during a close flyby, revealing the presence of hydrated sodium chloride, ammonium chloride, sodium bicarbonate, and possibly aliphatic aldehydes. These findings provide insights into the composition of Ganymede's deep ocean and its formation process. The spatial resolution of the JIRAM data was unprecedented, allowing scientists to analyze the unique spectral features of non-water-ice materials. Ganymede, the largest moon of Jupiter, has long been of interest due to its hidden internal ocean of water beneath its icy crust.

via NASA|
#ganymede#juno-mission#nasa