Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

ChickenChimneyChanga t1_jb8aygg wrote

Ganymede also has a thin oxygen atmosphere and is believed to have a saltwater ocean 200 km below the surface. This ocean would have more water than all of the water on Earth's surface.

35

Modern_rocko t1_jb92xq5 wrote

I thought oxygen was only present as a byproduct of organic materials ?

2

Cohibaluxe t1_jb9eanb wrote

Oxygen is the third most abundant material in the universe. It’s made at the end of the helium fusion process in massive stars, and our sun is 0.9% oxygen by mass.

There’s oxygen on Mars and Venus too, but in insufficient quantities to support the oxygen cycle. The fact that we have the oxygen cycle (part of that being photosynthesis) is why Earth has a much higher amount of oxygen, but it’s not the only source of it.

18

bearsnchairs t1_jba05j3 wrote

Molecular oxygen, O2 is seen as a marker for biological activity. Molecule oxygen is pretty reactive and over long time scales it will react with mostly anything and form oxides. If it builds up enough for you to detect it, there must be a source to counteract the sink.

Fun fact, oxygen is the most abundant element in earth’s crust.

8

jschild t1_jb9fsv3 wrote

Significant Oxygen only is, because oxygen is so reactive that it bonds with other elements pretty fast. Trace amounts are ok, but if you see a planet with 10-20% oxygen (and the atmosphere isn't super thin), it's almost certainly going to be life.

3

Modern_rocko t1_jb9g9zf wrote

That must have been where my mind was at - thanks for the clarification!

5

herbw t1_jbauynx wrote

Too damn cold for any but water ice. Liquid water unless proven to exist is not there.

Surface temp 90 to 160 K. 294 K is 70 Deg. F. So far below frozen water it's not even realistic to be liquid.

−2

dusto65 t1_jbb8lwn wrote

I think the theory is that if you go deep enough, it gets warmer due to interior heating. Plus the added pressure that deep could help in melting the water. I think you may also not be considering that salty water changes phases differently than pure water

2

herbw t1_jbdohz1 wrote

There is NO empirical evidence existing or real that Ganymede has liquid water. Prove that it does, which cannot at this time. Empiricists consider the facts, and learn more. But we know suppositions compared to empirically tested and confirmed truths. Anything else is hardly en pointe to understanding events.

1

igby1 t1_jb8re6p wrote

Prove it

−25

Budgiesaurus t1_jb91n2z wrote

How do you expect anyone to proof this when NASA and the like are still at the stage where they think it likely has more water than the earth's surface. There are strong indications for it, but a random redditor doesn't have a space telescope lying around to verify the Hubble's findings, do they?

11