Hubble photographs Jupiter's dramatic auroras

endgadget ^ | 6/30/2016 | Mariella Moon

[grimalkin]

The wispy, glowing veil sitting on top of Jupiter in the image above is actually a humongous aurora captured on cam by Hubble. A team of astronomers are using the telescope's ultraviolet instruments to study nature's light shows on the poles of the gas giant. They timed their study to coincide with Juno's arrival on the planet, since one of their goals is to determine how different solar wind conditions and other factors affect Jupiter's auroras. The spacecraft is in charge of measuring various solar wind properties, while they continue capturing images and videos almost every day during the duration of the mission.

Astronomers want to study Jupiter's auroras, because they're quite different from what we're used to. They're big enough to be able to envelope the entirety of our planet, and they're so powerful, they never go away.

Video here.

[bert]

that was my first impression. Being an accretionist, on closer examination I see the outlines of an accretion spiral ending at the pole.

the elements of the aurora seem to be spiraling into the pole for discharge

the universe is all about accretion. Gravity is drawing it all back

[Moonman62]

Fake but accurate.

[usconservative]

Now that’s what I call thinking big. Ever consider a career in the asteroid mining industry?

Jupiter first, we'll strip-mine the rest of the planets later.

[Alas Babylon!]

It's not! That's Charlie Brown's hair!

[zeebee]

It’s because of man-made global warming.

</s>

[Campion]

You’d need another 50 or 60 Jupiters to add to it to turn it into a red dwarf. And the gravity of a neighbor that size wouldn’t be good for earth.