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| Ganymede |
Jupiter’s largest moon could once have been home to
life in its many inner layers
Companion to Jupiter and the largest moon in our Solar system, Ganymede
is likely to have stacked its sheets of ice and oceans into several layers.
The moon was thought to possess a deep ocean stuck between layers
of ice. However, theoretical evidence suggests that such an organised
structure leaves room for the possibility that primitive life could
have been found the icy moon. The first layer on top of the rocky core is
likely to be awash with saltwater. “This is good news for Ganymede,”
says Steve Vance of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in
Pasadena. “Its ocean is huge, with enormous pressures, so it was thought
that dense ice had to form at the bottom of the ocean…”
While the team feels the moon’s ice and water stack is likely, they aren’t
sure how long the structure will last. “This represents a stable state, but
various factors could mean the moon doesn’t reach this stable state,” says
Christophe Sotin, also at JPL.
life in its many inner layers
is likely to have stacked its sheets of ice and oceans into several layers.
The moon was thought to possess a deep ocean stuck between layers
of ice. However, theoretical evidence suggests that such an organised
structure leaves room for the possibility that primitive life could
likely to be awash with saltwater. “This is good news for Ganymede,”
says Steve Vance of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in
Pasadena. “Its ocean is huge, with enormous pressures, so it was thought
that dense ice had to form at the bottom of the ocean…”
While the team feels the moon’s ice and water stack is likely, they aren’t
sure how long the structure will last. “This represents a stable state, but
various factors could mean the moon doesn’t reach this stable state,” says
Christophe Sotin, also at JPL.
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