Related topics: magnetic field · solar wind

Alternating currents cause Jupiter's aurora

An international team of researchers has succeeded in measuring the current system responsible for Jupiter's aurora. Using data transmitted to Earth by NASA's Juno spacecraft, they showed that the direct currents were much ...

Scientists discover what powers celestial phenomenon STEVE

The celestial phenomenon known as STEVE is likely caused by a combination of heating of charged particles in the atmosphere and energetic electrons like those that power the aurora, according to new research. In a new study, ...

Scientists find auroral 'speed bumps' are more complicated

Researchers at the University of New Hampshire Space Science Center find that "speed bumps" in space, which can slow down satellites orbiting closer to Earth, are more complex than originally thought.

Jupiter's atmosphere heats up under solar wind

New Earth-based telescope observations show that auroras at Jupiter's poles are heating the planet's atmosphere to a greater depth than previously thought—and that it is a rapid response to the solar wind.

Image: Aurora Australis

Many people hope to catch a glimpse of these reddish-green swirls of colour floating in the polar skies. Few are as lucky as ESA astronaut Tim Peake, who captured this dazzling display of the aurora Australis from the International ...

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