Hervé
1st July 2016, 15:56
Spectacular aurora lights up Jupiter’s North Pole (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/06/30/spectacular-aurora-lights-up-jupiters-north-pole/)
Sarah Knapton (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/sarah-knapton/), Science Editor The Telegraph (UK) (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/06/30/spectacular-aurora-lights-up-jupiters-north-pole/)
30 June 2016 • 4:48pm
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/science/2016/06/30/118728-large_trans++M3F4J5q1UP41khh_YGSE8i6FV4BCuS3wfc64Q_cWH3k.jpg
A composite image of Jupiter taken by the Hubble space telescope Credit: Nasa
A stunning aurora above Jupiter’s North Pole has been captured by the Hubble telescope.
The image of the Northern Lights was taken ahead of the arrival of NASA's spaceship Juno (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/juno/main/index.html)next week which will spend a year monitoring the largest planet in the Solar System.
Jupiter (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/space/8668091/Nasa-plans-mission-to-Jupiter.html)is known for its colourful storms such as the Great Red Spot which swirls constantly in the planet’s atmosphere. But it’s powerful magnetic field also means it has spectacular light shows at its poles.
Just like on Earth, auroras are created when high energy particles enter a planet's atmosphere near its magnetic poles and collide with atoms of gas.
"These auroras are very dramatic and among the most active I have ever seen", said Jonathan Nichols from the University of Leicester, UK, and principal investigator of the study.
"It almost seems as if Jupiter is throwing a firework party for the imminent arrival of Juno."
To highlight changes in the auroras Hubble is observing Jupiter (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/space/8672429/Nasa-to-peer-through-Jupiters-stormy-clouds-for-first-time.html)daily for around one month.
Using this series of images it is possible for scientists to create videos that demonstrate the movement of lights at the poles, which cover areas bigger than the Earth.
Not only are the auroras huge, they are also hundreds of times more energetic than auroras on Earth.
And, unlike those on Earth, they never cease. Whilst on Earth the most intense auroras are caused by solar storms -- when charged particles rain down on the upper atmosphere, excite gases, and cause them to glow red, green and purple -- Jupiter has an additional source for its auroras.
The strong magnetic field of the gas giant grabs charged particles from its surroundings, including particles thrown into space by its orbiting moon Io, known for its numerous and large volcanoes.
NASA's Juno mission, which arrives at Jupiter’s orbit on July 4, aims to discover if a solid core lies beneath the dense atmosphere and what it driving the intense magnetic field.
The 3.5 tonne spacecraft was launched in 2011 and it will be the first probe to travel so close to Jupiter’s deadly radiation belts.
Sarah Knapton (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/sarah-knapton/), Science Editor The Telegraph (UK) (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/06/30/spectacular-aurora-lights-up-jupiters-north-pole/)
30 June 2016 • 4:48pm
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/science/2016/06/30/118728-large_trans++M3F4J5q1UP41khh_YGSE8i6FV4BCuS3wfc64Q_cWH3k.jpg
A composite image of Jupiter taken by the Hubble space telescope Credit: Nasa
A stunning aurora above Jupiter’s North Pole has been captured by the Hubble telescope.
The image of the Northern Lights was taken ahead of the arrival of NASA's spaceship Juno (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/juno/main/index.html)next week which will spend a year monitoring the largest planet in the Solar System.
Jupiter (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/space/8668091/Nasa-plans-mission-to-Jupiter.html)is known for its colourful storms such as the Great Red Spot which swirls constantly in the planet’s atmosphere. But it’s powerful magnetic field also means it has spectacular light shows at its poles.
Just like on Earth, auroras are created when high energy particles enter a planet's atmosphere near its magnetic poles and collide with atoms of gas.
"These auroras are very dramatic and among the most active I have ever seen", said Jonathan Nichols from the University of Leicester, UK, and principal investigator of the study.
"It almost seems as if Jupiter is throwing a firework party for the imminent arrival of Juno."
To highlight changes in the auroras Hubble is observing Jupiter (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/space/8672429/Nasa-to-peer-through-Jupiters-stormy-clouds-for-first-time.html)daily for around one month.
Using this series of images it is possible for scientists to create videos that demonstrate the movement of lights at the poles, which cover areas bigger than the Earth.
Not only are the auroras huge, they are also hundreds of times more energetic than auroras on Earth.
And, unlike those on Earth, they never cease. Whilst on Earth the most intense auroras are caused by solar storms -- when charged particles rain down on the upper atmosphere, excite gases, and cause them to glow red, green and purple -- Jupiter has an additional source for its auroras.
The strong magnetic field of the gas giant grabs charged particles from its surroundings, including particles thrown into space by its orbiting moon Io, known for its numerous and large volcanoes.
NASA's Juno mission, which arrives at Jupiter’s orbit on July 4, aims to discover if a solid core lies beneath the dense atmosphere and what it driving the intense magnetic field.
The 3.5 tonne spacecraft was launched in 2011 and it will be the first probe to travel so close to Jupiter’s deadly radiation belts.