New analysis of decades-old data has turned up a significant result: the first discovery of ammonia-bearing compounds on the surface of Jupiter’s moon Europa. Ammonia is a nitrogen-bearing molecule, and […]
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Posted inComets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Perihelion Asymmetry In The Water Production Rate Of Tthe Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS
3I/ATLAS is an interstellar object whose activity provides critical insights into its composition and origin. However, due to its orbital geometry, the object is too close to the Sun near […]
![A] Example Keck NIRSPEC slit obtained on February 24, 2016, when 18.6◦W (labeled with the black dot) is in the morning (∼13 hours prior to local noon in Europa’s ∼85-hour day, estimated ∼103 K). [B] Example Keck NIRSPEC slit obtained on February 25, 2016, when the same region (18.5◦W; labeled with the red dot) is in the afternoon (∼16 hours after local noon in Europa’s ∼85-hour day, estimated ∼115 K). [C] Corresponding reflectance spectra for this location in the morning (in black) and in the afternoon (in red). Dashed gray lines outline the H2O2 band. Second-order polynomial continua are indicated by the dashed curves of the same color as the spectrum. Continuum-removed absorptions are included and show nearly overlapping absorptions. A ∼12 K temperature increase over 24 hours is estimated from the thermal model of Trumbo et al. (2017a). This temperature change results in a negligible -3.1% change in the integrated band areas. Leading chaos regions are outlined in black (Leonard et al. 2024). Background basemap credit: USGS (2002). -- astro-ph.EP](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Europas-H2O2-Temperature-Insensitivity.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Europa, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Europa’s H2O2: Temperature Insensitivity and a Correlation with CO2
H2O2 is part of Europa’s water-ice radiolytic cycle and a potential source of oxidants to Europa’s subsurface ocean. However, factors controlling the concentration of this critical surface species remain unclear.