In his new paper published in the Planetary Science Journal, Dr. Emran reports the detection of a characteristic ammonia absorption feature at 2.20 microns in near-infrared spectra of Europa’s surface. The signal was identified in observations from Galileo’s NIMS instrument, which surveyed Europa during flybys in the 1990s.
Ammonia hydrate and ammonium chloride are the most plausible materials responsible for the detected feature. Ammonia is unstable under intense space radiation, a property that makes its presence on Europa’s surface significant.
In his new paper published in…
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