Among the simple diatomic molecules, oxygen is of particular interest because it shows magnetism at low temperatures. Moreover, at pressures exceeding 95 GPa (∼0.95 Mbar), solid molecular oxygen becomes metallic, accompanied by a structural transition¹. The metallization process is characterized by an increase in optical reflectivity², and a change in the slope of the resistance–temperature curve³. Here we report that at pressures of around 100 GPa, solid oxygen becomes superconducting, with a transition temperature of 0.6 K. The transition is revealed by both resistivity measurements and a Meissner demagnetization signal.

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