On Christmas Day 2023, scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) captured a stunning display of light at Jupiter’s auroras.
Researchers utilized JWST’s infrared cameras to examine the rapidly changing features within Jupiter’s expansive auroras. A study published on May 12th indicates that these findings will enhance our understanding of how Jupiter’s atmosphere is both heated and cooled, as noted in Nature Communications.
“What a Christmas gift; it truly amazed me!” exclaimed co-author Jonathan Nichols, a researcher studying auroras at the University of Leicester, UK, in a statement. “We anticipated seeing how quickly the auroras would change, hoping they might glow and vanish within an hour. Instead, we illuminated the entire aurora region, revealing its continuous transformation.”
Auroras occur when highly energetic charged particles, often released by the sun, collide with the gases in a planet’s atmosphere, causing them to emit light. Jupiter’s intense magnetic field captures charged particles like electrons from the solar wind. Very Volcanic Moon Io—these particles then race toward the planet’s poles, resulting in auroras that are hundreds of times brighter than those on Earth Aurora.
Related: NASA uncovers “smooth cooling lava of glass” on the surface of Jupiter’s moon Io
In the new study, the team meticulously observed the infrared radiation emitted by trihydrogen cations, H3+. This molecule appears in Jupiter’s auroras when energetic electrons interact with hydrogen in the planet’s atmosphere. The infrared emissions release heat from Jupiter’s atmosphere, but these molecules also face destruction from rapidly moving electrons. Currently, no sensitive ground-based technology exists to accurately time how long H3+ persists in its surroundings.
However, leveraging JWST’s near-infrared camera, the team discovered that H3+ emissions fluctuate more than anticipated. They found that H3+ lasts approximately two and a half minutes in Jupiter’s atmosphere before being eradicated, potentially aiding scientists in understanding the cooling effects of H3+ on Jupiter’s atmosphere.
Nonetheless, scientists are still piecing together the larger picture. They uncovered some enigmatic data while simultaneously directing the Hubble Space Telescope towards Jupiter. Hubble captured ultraviolet emissions from the auroras, whereas JWST recorded the infrared emissions.
“Interestingly, the brightest light detected by Webb did not align with any corresponding images from Hubble,” Nichols remarked in a statement. “This left us puzzled. To account for the brightness seen in both Webb and Hubble, we would require a significant presence of very low-energy particles striking the atmosphere, a phenomenon previously believed to be impossible.”
In forthcoming research, the team plans to utilize additional JWST data and NASA’s observations to delve into the origins of this unexpected pattern, as the Juno spacecraft has been observing Jupiter from orbit since 2016.
Source: www.livescience.com