Ganymede Makes Big Impression On Jupiter's Auroral Lightshows
Saturday, September 19, 2009 - 00:28
in Astronomy & Space
Studies of features in Jupiter’s spectacular and rapidly changing aurorae have given new insights into the complex electromagnetic interactions between the giant planet and two of its innermost moons. As Ganymede and Io orbit Jupiter, they interact with regions of plasma and generate electromagnetic waves that are projected along Jupiter’s magnetic field lines towards Jupiter’s poles where they cause auroral bright spots. Scientists from the University of Liège in Belgium have used thousands of images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in ultraviolet wavelengths to monitor these auroral features in unprecedented detail.