considering that oxygen is a fairly heavy gas isnt it possible that we just cant detect it because its too low?
2006-09-06 05:21:38 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
No. Even if billions of years of lightening hadn't ignited it by now, countless collisions like that of the Shoemacher-Levy comet would have set the thing off by now.
There's just no way free Oxygen would last long on Jupiter anyway. With all the heat activity going on where you think the Oxygen would be, Oxidation with some other element(s) would take place on a constant basis - not in a huge explosion, but in smaller reactions in localised regions.
Also, there's no evidence of life there, which would be required to keep the level of free Oxygen up.
2006-09-06 06:52:46 · answer #1 · answered by almintaka 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
A flammable atmosphere on Jupiter would last only until the next lightning discharge. In general, oxygen is too reactive to exist in an atmosphere in significant concentration unless there is some source, such as the plant life on Earth, to replenish it.
2006-09-06 14:26:20 · answer #2 · answered by injanier 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
any thing is possible
2006-09-06 13:48:30 · answer #3 · answered by doc_djj 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋