NASA releases image, video, of Saturn's auroras

[Judi Lynn]

Data from Hubble and Cassini reveal remarkable similarities with Earth's auroras.
By Laurel Kornfeld | 2 hours ago

Last year, while the Cassini spacecraft was still orbiting Saturn, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope (HST) captured a stunning view of the planet's northern aurora, which, after being combined with Cassini data, was just released as an image and video.

When Saturn experienced its summer solstice on May 24, 2017, meaning its north pole was tilted toward the Sun, both Hubble and Cassini observed and measured the northern aurora.

Although the aurora appears blue, it actually glows in ultraviolet wavelengths, which can only be seen from space. When hydrogen gas at the north pole interacts with energetic electrons generated by the planet's powerful magnetic field, intense auroras are created. Because Saturn rotates rapidly on its axis, with a Saturn "day" taking just 11 hours, the auroras' appearances constantly change.

The actual image and video released by NASA are composites that include images of the aurora taken in early 2018 and transformation of the May 2017 photos from ultraviolet wavelengths to visible light.

More:
https://thespacereporter.com/article.php?n=nasa-releases-image-video-of-saturns-auroras&id=165111

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. Another out-of-date article from that author and website

It's based on a paper from June 2018: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2018GL078094

And that site's "distant galaxy" article in this thread: https://www.democraticunderground.com/122861954 is another based on an old paper, from August 2018: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0443-1

https://www.democraticunderground.com/122861955 also comes from an August 2018 article: https://www.space.com/41663-black-holes-reanimate-dead-stars.html