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Cassini probe has found on Saturn's oxygen atmosphere.. / November 29, 2010 /

Cassini Probe found on Saturn’s moon Rhea oxygen atmosphere. Until now, this gas is found only in the atmosphere of Jupiter’s moons. Article researchers, which are collected by the probe data, published in the journal Science. Brief paper writes portal Space.com.

Scientists have tried to find traces of oxygen in the atmosphere of Rhea is not the first time, but until now they did not succeed. In May 2010, the unit Cassini flew at a distance of 97 kilometers from the moon’s surface, and analysis of their mass spectrometric data revealed the presence of O2. Its content is about five trillion times smaller than the Earth’s atmosphere, but in principle it is about a hundred times thicker than the atmosphere of the Moon or Mercury. As they note, are still found at O2 Ray failed precisely because of its small amount.

Scientists believe that oxygen is formed in the bombardment of water ice on the surface of Rhea by charged particles flying from Saturn. Oxygen on Jupiter satellites is similar in nature.

In addition to oxygen Ray was found carbon dioxide. While experts can not clearly explain how it is formed. According to one version, the moon’s surface may be complex organic molecules, the bombardment of charged particles, which leads to the release of carbon. When combined with oxygen it forms carbon dioxide. Also, scientists do not rule out that the CO2 can be released from the womb of Rhea, where it was formed last during geological processes (now they do not go to Ray).

Recently, another group of scientists investigated the distribution of oxygen in the bulk ice-water ocean of Jupiter’s moon Europe. According to the experts, if O2 has penetrated into the water about one to two billion years ago, so far in Europe have formed ability to absorb oxygen beings. However, while this hypothesis is only speculative.

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