Scientists say

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The lights of the northern lights that are preparing through Alaskan coatings, have a desert cousins ​​in Jupitel – they are bigger, unfamiliar and are now linked to a discovery that helps scientists better understand space air.

This “alien Aurora” on our largest plasma of our solar system revealed the previously unknown type of plasma waves, according to a research led by Minnesota University in Twin Ciies researchers. The conclusion could help scientists better understand the “auror” about other worlds and as magnetic fields of shield planet, including The landfrom harmful radiation broadcast from their stars.

Aurora occurs when the flow of charged particles, led by the magnetic field of the planet, crashed into the atmosphere of the planet. The result on earth is colorful Northern and southern lightsVisible with green and blue stripes over the night sky. However JupiterAurora is much more powerful; They are also invisible to us without instruments that detect ultraviolet or infrared light.

The latest conclusions about Jupiter’s Auroras are thanks to NASA Juno spacecraftwhich has been flying since 2016. Jupiter. Juno follows a long, terrible path through the planet’s poles – orbit to reduce the effect of the probe on Jupiter’s intense radiation belts, while allowing its instruments to capture detailed measurements. This includes Wave instrumentwhich can “listen” to electromagnetic signals created by plasma charged particles because they interact with Jupiter’s magnetic field.

“The James Webb Space Telescope gave us infrared images From Aurora, but Juno is the first spacecraft in the polar orbit around Jupiter. ” Ali SusimanAssociate Professor at the University of Minnesota University, who led the study, said a a statement;

Plasma, often referred to as the fourth state of matter, is formed when the atoms are so energetic that they are broken down into electron and ion soup. This electricity recharged material flows as a liquid, but also reacts strongly to magnetic fields, according to the statement. Around Jupiter, which is the most magnetized planet of the solar system, the plasma behaves the way it cannot be found on Earth.

By exploring Jun’s measurements, the Sulaiman and his team found that the plasma density in the Jupiter polar environment is so small and the magnetic field is so strong, which means that the waves vibrate at an unusually low frequency. This creates a brand new wave type – one that begins as a familiar Alfvén wave, but goes to the so -called “Langmi” regime under Jupiter’s extreme conditions, the new study reports.

“Although plasma can behave like a fluid, it also affects its own magnetic fields and external fields,” Robert Lysak, a professor of physics and astronomy at Minnesota University, said in the same statement.

The team also found that the Jupiter’s magnetic field direct the charged particles differently than the ground. On Earth, the poles usually consist of ring -shaped strips. However, Jupiter particles are directed directly to the polar cap, producing more concentrated and chaotic auror.

Although there are no such conditions on Earth, scientists believe that they can be common in the outer planets of our solar system or even in the huge planets of exoplanets flying other stars. Similar plasma waves could also exist in strongly stars, according to the study.

The team plans to continue the analysis of Juno data as the spacecraft produces an additional orbit around Jupiter. Each passage could reveal more clues about how plasma behaves under extreme conditions, and in turn to reveal how the planets, including our own, remain protected from the storm of constant radiation from their stars.

This study is described in a paper Announced on July 16. Magazine Physical Reviews.