On March 4, 2024, a groundbreaking study was published in Nature Astronomy, revealing that Jupiter’s moon, Europa, produces significantly less oxygen than previously estimated. Based on direct measurements taken by NASA’s Juno spacecraft, the study showed that approximately 26 pounds (12 kilograms) of oxygen are generated every second on Europa’s surface. This finding contradicts earlier assumptions, which suggested that anywhere between 11 and 2,425 pounds (5 to 1,100 kg) of oxygen were produced each second.
The new figure, at the lower end of the initial range, raises questions about the likelihood of Europa’s underground ocean supporting life. However, the discovery does not rule out the possibility entirely, as the oxygen generated could still play a crucial role in sustaining life forms adapted to extreme environments.
To obtain these measurements, researchers analyzed data collected by the Jovian Auroral Distribution Experiment (JADE) aboard the Juno spacecraft during a flyby in September 2022, when the spacecraft came within 220 miles (353 km) of Europa’s surface. This close encounter enabled direct measurement of the moon’s atmosphere, allowing researchers to identify and measure hydrogen and oxygen ions that had been created by bombarding charged particles and then picked up by Jupiter’s magnetic field.