Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope to study the auroras on the largest planet in the solar system – Jupiter. The program is supported observational measurements made by the probe Juno, which is now on the way to the gas giant.
Jupiter is known for its storms of the Great Red Spot on the head. Now, researchers have focused their attention on another phenomenon occurring on this planet. For this purpose, used the Hubble Space Telescope, which observed the planet in ultraviolet light.
The unusual glow visible in the pictures is nothing like auroras. They are formed when high-energy particles collide with gas atoms in the planet’s atmosphere near the magnetic poles. In addition to capturing extraordinary images, the program aims to identify the ingredients of Jupiter’s auroras react to different conditions in the solar wind – a stream of charged particles ejected by the sun.
The observations were timed with the mission of Juno, which is currently in a stream of solar wind and soon will enter the orbit of Jupiter. While Hubble observes and performs measurements of parameters auroras, Juno collects data on the properties of the solar wind. This is an excellent cooperation between the telescope and the probe.
“These auroras are very spectacular and are among the most active I’ve ever seen” says Jonathan Nichols Universität Leicester – principal investigator of the project . “It looks almost like Jupiter fired fireworks to celebrate the imminent arrival of Juno.”
To register changes in the display of aurora, Hubble observed the planet almost every day for several months. Using a series of pictures taken in extreme ultraviolet light by the spectrograph telescope, scientists can create a video showing the movement of the auroras, which cover an area larger than the Earth.
They are not only larger, but also have 100 times more energy than auroras on Earth and in contrast to Earth, never disappear. On Earth, the most intense auroras generated by the solar storms. Charged particles “bombard” the higher layers of the atmosphere. Make the gas begins to glow red, green or purple. Jupiter but has additional power source. Strong magnetic fields of gaseous giant traps charged particles from the environment. These are not just particles in the solar wind, but also those thrown into space by a moon of Jupiter – Io, which has many large volcanoes on its surface.
The new observations made by the Hubble Space Telescope and the Juno probe They will help to better understand how the sun and other sources influence the auroras. While observations of Jupiter and analysis of the data will take a few months, there are already first photos and videos showing the full auroras at the north pole of the gas giant.
Hubble Captures Vivid Auroras in Jupiter’s Atmosphere, Hubble Captures Vivid Auroras in Jupiter’s Atmosphere
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