The existence of life on Earth – this obvious fact is currently being verified by European scientists. Why is this the case?
The JUICE spacecraft from the European Space Agency (ESA) is finally on its way to Jupiter, but on August 20, it made a quick observation of Earth and returned an intriguing report: Earth is indeed habitable! A fact that is generally taken for granted.
The JUICE probe was launched in April 2023 and is currently traveling through the Solar System on an eight-year journey to explore Jupiter and its three moons: Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa, all believed to have liquid oceans beneath their icy crusts.
During its flyby of Earth on August 20, JUICE successfully detected water in Earth’s atmosphere, as well as carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur (the “CHNOPS” elements, which are the most common elements in living organisms). Thus, scientists can further confirm the necessary conditions for life to exist on Earth.
The Pacific Ocean observed by ESA’s MAJIS instrument during the Earth flyby on August 20, 2024, from a distance of 8,700 km across three different wavelengths.
It may sound strange at first, but the JUICE spacecraft and its research team have justifiable reasons for conducting these tests.
Specifically, JUICE is testing the effectiveness of two new instruments during its flyby of Earth. These two instruments include: The Jupiter and Moon Imaging Spectrograph (MAJIS) and the Submillimeter Wave Instrument (SWI). Both are used to detect signs of life.
Carrying out tests and reporting results about Earth (which is undeniably home to life) will help demonstrate that the MAJIS and SWI instruments will perform very well on the Jupiter exploration mission. The icy moons of Jupiter are the focus of JUICE’s research to see if they could be potential habitats for life, either in the past or present.
After confirming the instruments are functioning properly, JUICE will set off to study the icy moon regions of Jupiter.
The three horizontal bands display different images of Earth. Each image is captured at a different wavelength, meaning they reveal distinct characteristics and information about the planet below.
When JUICE arrives at Jupiter, it will conduct similar tests on this planet’s icy moons to determine whether they can support life. Therefore, conducting a trial run on Earth, the only celestial body in the Solar System known to host life, is the best way to ensure the instruments are calibrated correctly.
During its flyby of Earth, JUICE also collected data on the atmospheric composition, including oxygen, ozone, and carbon dioxide. Scientists plan to study oxygen concentration, in particular, as a point of comparison with the Jupiter system. This will help them understand whether external oxygen levels can support current biological activity on Earth.
Thus, while it may not be groundbreaking news that Earth can support life, JUICE’s study of our planet is significant in itself. With the promising results just obtained, the JUICE spacecraft is now nearly ready to advance toward exploring Jupiter!
