The James Webb telescope has revealed spectacular auroras on Jupiteraaa

NASA has released new images from the James Webb telescope that capture the mesmerizing aurora borealis on Jupiter. These bright flashes in the atmosphere of the solar system’s largest planet are not only hundreds of times more powerful than Earth’s northern lights, but are also much more complex in nature.

They’re not only hundreds of times more powerful than Earth’s northern lights, but also much more complex in nature.

The NIRCam infrared images allow scientists to observe with unprecedented precision exactly how the auroras form and change over time. The research is being led by a team from the University of Leicester, led by Jonathan Nicholls.

Infrared images taken with the NIRCam camera allow scientists to see exactly how the auroras form and change over time.

Polar auroras aren’t just from the sun

While on Earth the auroras in the sky are caused by streams of charged particles from solar flares, Jupiter is more complicated. In addition to the solar wind, its powerful magnetic field captures charged particles from other sources – including the volcanic activity of its satellite Io. The result is a complex and multilayered system that has no direct analog in our atmosphere.

“We thought the auroras on Jupiter appeared and disappeared smoothly, just like on Earth. But it turns out they’re flashing and flickering literally every second,” Nichols said, commenting on the images. He also said the images were “a real Christmas present.”

Webb vs. Hubble: comparing capabilities

Interestingly, the team made observations simultaneously from two telescopes – James Webb and Hubble. Thanks to this, the scientists were able to compare images in the ultraviolet and near-infrared. The difference was enormous: the Webb telescope showed details that Hubble simply did not capture.

This comparison underscores the potential of the new space observatory and paves the way for new studies of magnetic and atmospheric processes on Jupiter.

What it does for science

The study of Jupiter’s auroras is about more than just pretty pictures. The new data will help us understand how the gas giant’s magnetic field works, how it interacts with external and internal energy sources, and how it affects atmospheric temperature. Scientists hope this will be a step toward a deeper understanding of Jupiter’s structure and dynamics.

Did you know that Jupiter’s auroras can be brighter than the rest of Earth’s?

The James Webb telescope reveals spectacular auroras on Jupiter was first published on ITZine.ru.