Mysterious phenomena take place on Jupiter. For centuries the gas planet has been quiet but over the last three years scientists observed two red spots in Jupiter's atmosphere. The spots are from five to ten times bigger than our planet. The phenomena were spotted on Europa, one of Jupiter's largest natural satellites.
This year the planet's ice-heavy poles moved 90 degrees and changed places with the equator. It is worth mentioning that Jupiter is the only planet in our solar system where thermonuclear reactions occur in its depths. In case something goes wrong on Jupiter and its satellites, it could lead to a great explosion in our solar system and the blast wave reaching the Earth may destroy every living organism on our planet.
According to Eduard Drobyshevsky, scientist working in St. Petersburg, Callisto, another natural satellite of Jupiter, may suffer critical changes as well. The scientist considers that the ice shell of Callisto could explode and the gigantic pieces of ice could wipe out the life on Earth if they reach it.
"Imagine this. Our Moon is enveloped in ice, the thickness of which is 800 kilometers. This is what a typical massive natural satellite like Jupiter's Callisto looks like. It is dirty ice, which conducts electric current because all of this moves in the magnetic field, in the magnetosphere of a giant planet. Ice is a very good conductor, especially if it is dirty. Electrolysis of ice occurs as a result," Drobyshevsky told Russian news agency RIA Novosti.
Explosions took place before. Drobyshevsky says that 10,000 years ago exploded the ice shell on Titan, Saturn's moon. The explosion led to the creation of Titan's atmosphere, ice rings around Saturn and a number of comets.
Callisto features the oldest ice shell among all satellites in our solar system. The ice shell has not detonated previously, which is why it can be flooded with hydrogen and oxygen that are products of ice electrolysis. The consequences of the explosion could be lethal for our planet.
"Callisto is a lot closer than Titan. The explosion of its shell will lead to nuclear winters on Earth. It will be a horrible disaster for the biosphere," Drobyshevsky said.