Stunning new images from James Webb Telescope help unlock mysteries of Jupiter's glowing auroras

Auroras connected Jupiter are hundreds of times brighter than those seen connected Earth, caller images from nan James Webb Space Telescope person revealed.

The star system's largest satellite displays striking dancing lights erstwhile high-energy particles from abstraction collide pinch atoms of state successful nan ambiance adjacent its magnetic poles, akin to really nan aurora borealis, aliases nan Northern lights, are triggered connected Earth.

But Jupiter's type has overmuch greater intensity, according to an world squad of scientists who analysed nan photos from Webb taken connected Christmas successful 2023.

Webb antecedently captured Neptune's glowing auroras successful nan champion item yet, galore decades aft they were first faintly detected during a flyby of nan Voyager 2 spacecraft.

How Jupiter's aurora are different from Earth's

Auroras connected Earth are caused by charged particles from nan Sun colliding pinch gases and atoms successful nan ambiance adjacent nan planet's poles, causing streaks of dancing ray successful nan sky.

On Jupiter, further factors are astatine play different than star wind. High-energy particles are besides drawn from different sources, including Jupiter's volcanic satellite Io.

Jupiter's ample magnetic section past accelerates these particles to tremendous speeds, hundreds of times faster than nan auroras connected Earth. The particles slam into nan planet's atmosphere, causing gases to glow.

James Webb has been capable to springiness much specifications astir really they are formed connected Jupiter owed to its unsocial capabilities.

The caller information and images were captured pinch its Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) connected December 25, 2023, by a squad of scientists led by Jonathan Nichols from nan UK's University of Leicester.

"What a Christmas coming it was – it conscionable blew maine away!" said Nichols.

"We wanted to spot really quickly nan auroras change, expecting them to slice successful and retired ponderously, possibly complete a 4th of an hr aliases so. Instead, we observed nan full auroral region fizzing and popping pinch light, sometimes varying by nan second".

The findings were published connected Monday successful nan diary Nature Communications.