Media Information

 
 
 
Collection:
NASA Planetary Photo Journal Collection
Title:
Satellite Footprints Seen in Jupiter Aurora
Original Caption Released with Image:
This is a spectacular NASA Hubble Space Telescope close-up view of an electric-blue aurora that is eerily glowing one half billion miles away on the giant planet Jupiter. Auroras are curtains of light resulting from high-energy electrons racing along the planet's magnetic field into the upper atmosphere. The electrons excite atmospheric gases, causing them to glow. The image shows the main oval of the aurora, which is centered on the magnetic north pole, plus more diffuse emissions inside the polar cap.

Though the aurora resembles the same phenomenon that crowns Earth's polar regions, the Hubble image shows unique emissions from the magnetic "footprints" of three of Jupiter's largest moons. (These points are reached by following Jupiter's magnetic field from each satellite down to the planet).

Auroral footprints can be seen in this image from Io (along the lefthand limb), Ganymede (near the center), and Europa (just below and to the right of Ganymede's auroral footprint). These emissions, produced by electric currents generated by the satellites, flow along Jupiter's magnetic field, bouncing in and out of the upper atmosphere. They are unlike anything seen on Earth.

This ultraviolet image of Jupiter was taken with the Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) on November 26, 1998. In this ultraviolet view, the aurora stands out clearly, but Jupiter's cloud structure is masked by haze.

December 14, 2000 inaugurates an intensive two weeks of joint observation of Jupiter's aurora by Hubble and the Cassini spacecraft. Cassini will make its closest approach to Jupiter enroute to a July 2004 rendezvous with Saturn. A second campaign in January 2001 will consist of Hubble images of Jupiter's day-side aurora and Cassini images of Jupiter's night-side aurora, obtained just after Cassini has flown past Jupiter. The team will develop computer models that predict how the aurora operates, and this will yield new insights into the effects of the solar wind on the magnetic fields of planets.
Addition Date:
2001-07-21
Image Credit:
NASA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)Acknowle dgment: NASA/ESA, John Clarke (University of Michigan)
Produced By:
Space Telescope Science Institute
Mission:
Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
Spacecraft:
Hubble Space Telescope
Target Name:
Jupiter
Is a satellite of:
Sol (our sun)
Instrument:
Wide Field Planetary Camera 2
Product Size:
752 samples x 417 lines
Primary Data Set:
Space Telescope Science Institute
Producer ID:
STSCI-PRC00-38
facet_what:
Sun
facet_what:
Jupiter
facet_what:
Earth
facet_what:
Polar
facet_what:
Io
facet_what:
Saturn
facet_what:
Cassini
facet_what:
Europa
facet_what:
Ganymede
facet_what:
Camera 2
facet_what:
Wide Field Planetary Camera 2
facet_what:
Aura
facet_what:
Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
facet_where:
Jupiter
facet_where:
Saturn
facet_where:
Europa
facet_where:
Ganymede
facet_where:
Michigan
facet_where:
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_when:
July 2004
facet_when:
January 2001
facet_when:
November 26, 1998
facet_when:
December 14, 2000
facet_when_year:
2004
facet_when_year:
2001
facet_when_year:
2000
facet_when_year:
1998
Image #:
PIA03155
UID:
SPD-PHOTJ-PIA03155
orignial url:

Satellite Footprints Seen in Jupiter Aurora