Planetary researchers, utilizing data from NASA’s Juno spacecraft, have identified a novel type of plasma wave in the Aurora Zone above Jupiter’s North Pole.
This image merges observations from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope with optical images and ultraviolet observations of Jovian Aurora. Image credit: NASA/ESA.
“While the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has supplied some infrared images of the Aurora, Juno is unique as the first spacecraft to take a polar orbit around Jupiter,” stated Dr. Ali Suleiman from the University of Minnesota.
“The regions surrounding a magnetized planet like Jupiter are filled with plasma, a superheated state where atoms dissociate into electrons and ions.”
“These particles are propelled towards the planet’s atmosphere, causing the gas to illuminate as auroras.”
“On Earth, this phenomenon manifests as the recognizable green and blue lights.”
“However, Jupiter’s auroras are generally not visible to the naked eye and require UV and infrared instruments for observation.”
The research team discovered that the polar plasma density on Jupiter is so low, in combination with its strong magnetic field, that the plasma waves exhibit very low frequencies, unlike those observed around Earth.
“Plasma behaves like a liquid but is influenced by both its own magnetic field and external fields,” remarked Professor Robert Rysack from the University of Minnesota.
“Our study also sheds light on how particles inundate the polar regions, in contrast to Earth, where Jupiter’s intricate magnetic fields give rise to auroras arranged in a donut-like pattern around the poles.”
“As Juno advances its mission to further investigate this new phenomenon, we aim to collect additional data.”
The team’s findings were published in the journal on July 16th, 2025, in Physical Review Letters.
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R. Lysak et al. 2025. A new plasma regime in Jupiter’s Aurora Zone. Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 035201; doi:10.1103/fn63-qmb7
Source: www.sci.news
