An international team of space scientists has found evidence that hydrogen peroxide on Ganymede, Jupiter’s largest moon, exists only at its higher latitudes. For their research, the journal reported Advances in Sciencethe team studied data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
For years, researchers believed that hydrogen peroxide existed on Ganymede, but it took a team first studying data from JWST to find it. In this new effort, the research team analyzed new data sent back to the telescope to learn more about the moon’s surface and its hydrogen peroxide.
Ganymede is the largest moon in the solar system, but it has not received nearly the attention given to another moon of Jupiter, Europa, whose features and characteristics make it more likely to have life at some point in time. But preliminary research shows that the influence of Jupiter’s magnetic field on its many moons may indicate a strong possibility of hydrogen peroxide in Ganymede. This is due to its possible effect on the process of irradiation of water-ice on its surface.
Early research showed that Ganymede and Europa were affected by radiation from Jupiter’s magnetosphere—it bombarded the surface of both moons, turning water ice into other compounds such as oxygen, ozone and hydrogen peroxide. In this new effort, the researchers studied data from the JWST NIRSpec Integral Field Unit.
The team found a 3.5-micrometer absorption band indicating the presence of hydrogen peroxide on the northern side of the moon, mostly on the side facing the directional orbit. They also observed oxygen that is usually found at low latitudes and on the opposite side of the moon. The findings show a big difference between Ganymede and Europa—in Europa, most of its hydrogen peroxide is located near its equator.
The team says their findings are part of a larger process aimed at better understanding how Ganymede’s magnetic field influences its own surface chemistry.
More information:
Samantha K. Trumbo et al, Hydrogen peroxide at the poles of Ganymede, Advances in Science (2023). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adg3724
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Citation: Hydrogen peroxide found on Jupiter’s moon Ganymede at higher latitudes (2023, July 24) retrieved 24 July 2023 from https://phys.org/news/2023-07-hydrogen-peroxide-jupiter-moon-ganymede.html
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