Astronomers have recently discovered that molecules on the surface of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa are being swept away by the giant planet’s magnetosphere. According to the team’s research, this process could be a major source of material for the moon’s subsurface ocean.

Europa, one of Jupiter’s four Galilean moons, is covered with a thick icy crust that is thought to cover a vast, potentially habitable, ocean beneath. To investigate the moon’s environment, astronomers have long studied the molecules that are found on its surface.

Now, a new study suggests that the molecules on Europa’s surface are being swept into space by Jupiter’s magnetosphere. This process, the researchers say, could be a major source of material for the moon’s subsurface ocean. In addition, the results could shed light on the processes that drive Europa’s geological activity.

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source: Phys.org