Scientists suggest that Jupiter’s moon Europa could visibly shine on its dark side

A number of significant discoveries have emerged from the experiments of NASA scientists to study how Jupiter’s radiation affects the chemical composition of its natural satellite, which is believed to host an underground ocean.

A group of scientists believe that Jupiter’s moon Europa could visibly shine on its dark side, as high levels of radiation from that giant planet’s powerful magnetic field interact with the icy surface of its natural satellite. It is also a phenomenon that could help specialists determine whether simple life forms can be sustained there, as specified in a new study published in the journal Nature Astronomy.

The findings were the result of experiments conducted by NASA scientists to study how Jupiter’s radiation affects the chemical makeup of Europa, where an underground ocean is believed to exist.

To this end, the researchers built an ice chamber at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (located in Pasadena, California), where they introduced the same chemicals that predictably exist on Europa’s icy surface, and then exposed them to a high-energy electron beam to simulate radiation from Jupiter, according to NBC News.

Laboratory simulations found that the irradiated ice emits a greenish light. “We saw that every time we shot with the electron beam, it glowed,” said Murthy Gudipati, a lab astrophysicist and lead author of the study. “And when the electrons were turned off, the glow disappeared,” he added.

“The surface of Europa continually experiences high flows of charged particles, due to the presence of Jupiter’s strong magnetic field. These high-energy charged particles, including electrons, interact with the surface rich in ice and salt, giving rise to complex processes. . physicists and chemists “, underlined the specialists.

Such emission characteristics could be used to determine the chemical composition of that satellite’s surface, as part of the low-altitude night flights of spacecraft such as the Europa Clipper. At night, the glow should be clearly visible to cameras and other instruments on NASA’s probes. The Europa Clipper mission will be launched in the coming years to investigate the habitability of that moon.

Scientists hope that thanks to this, it will be possible to determine which substances are actually contained in the foreseeable ocean that exists beneath Europa’s surface and determine whether it is suitable for hosting life forms.

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