A new study led by researchers based in the U.K. and China has figured out how Jupiter produces its own version of the aurora borealis, finally solving a 40-year-old mystery.
Four decades ago, astronomers discovered that Jupiter produces bursts of X-ray flares every few minutes. Much like the northern lights and southern lights on Earth, Jupiter’s X-ray auroras would occur at the planet’s north and south poles.
"We can never visit black holes, as they are beyond space travel, but Jupiter is on our doorstep. With the arrival of the satellite Juno into Jupiter's orbit, astronomers now have a fantastic opportunity to study an environment that produces X-rays up close,” said co-author Graziella Branduardi-Raymont in a news release.
Researchers say the waves of plasma send ionized sulfur and oxygen particles “surfing" along the magnetic field lines toward’s Jupiter’s poles. These particles actually originate from volcanos on Io, one of Jupiter’s moons. "We have seen Jupiter producing X-ray aurora for four decades, but we didn't know how this happened. We only knew they were produced when ions crashed into the planet's atmosphere,” said co-lead author William Dunn.
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