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In a recent laboratory study analyzing the likelihood of life on Jupiter’s moon Europa, scientists at NASA have discovered something bizarre. The night side of Europa probably glows with a sparkling light. Scientists say this is the case because Jupiter is bombarding the moon with radiation. And although the phenomenon was not observed directly, we may soon glimpse the moon “glow in the dark”.
NASA / JPL-Caltech
Scientific news reported on the discovery, which NASA announced in a recent press release. Dr. Murthy Gudipati of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and his colleagues were studying different ice and salt compositions to reproduce the real trick of Europa’s ice crust when they stumbled upon the glow.
“[W]We never imagined we would see what we would see, “JPL’s Bryana Henderson said in the NASA statement. Henderson, who is co-author of a paper published in Nature Astronomy describing the results of the laboratory experiment, together with Gudipati and others, he added: “When we tried new ice compositions, the glow looked different [each time]. “
The glow is due to the interaction of the different ice compositions with the radiation. On Europa, the moon’s icy crust is constantly hit by high-energy particles from Jupiter. (This is because Jupiter has an extraordinarily powerful magnetic field that fires charged particles.) The radiation in turn energizes the molecules in Europa’s crust. When they relax, they emit visible light.
“If Europe weren’t under this radiation, it would have the appearance of our moon to us – dark on the shadow side,” Gudipati said. “But since it is bombarded with radiation from Jupiter, it glows in the dark.”
As for the appearance of the glow of Europa to the naked eye, it looks quite enough File X-ish. Scientists say the night glow “would sometimes appear slightly green, sometimes slightly blue or white and with varying degrees of brightness” due to the varying compositions of the ice crust. These different colored flashes, however, will give more than just a light show.
“How [Europa’s] the varied composition could give us clues that Europe brings suitable conditions for life, “added Gudipati. Sometime in early 2020, NASA will launch its Europa Clipper mission to inspect the mysterious moon of Jupiter more closely. And, depending on what kind of glow Europa has, we may need to prepare for whatever radiation and salt water it wants to create in the dark.
Featured Image: NASA / JPL-Caltech
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