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Energetic lightshow at Saturn’s north pole | Hubble
August 30, 2018: Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space telescope have taken a series of spectacular images featuring the fluttering auroras at the north pole of Saturn. The observations were taken in ultraviolet light and the resulting images provide astronomers with the most comprehensive picture so far of Saturn’s northern aurora.
In 2017, over a period of seven months, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope took images of auroras above Saturn’s north pole region using the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph. The observations were taken before and after the Saturnian northern summer solstice. These conditions provided the best achievable viewing of the northern auroral region for Hubble.
On Earth, auroras are mainly created by particles originally emitted by the Sun in the form of solar wind. When this stream of electrically charged particles gets close to our planet, it interacts with the magnetic field, which acts as a gigantic shield. While it protects Earth’s environment from solar wind particles, it can also trap a small fraction of them. Particles trapped within the magnetosphere —the region of space surrounding Earth in which charged particles are affected by its magnetic field—can be energized and then follow the magnetic field lines down to the magnetic poles. There, they interact with oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the upper layers of the atmosphere, creating the flickering, colorful lights visible in the polar regions here on Earth [1].
However, these auroras are not unique to Earth. Other planets in our Solar System have been found to have similar auroras. Among them are the four gas giants Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Because the atmosphere of each of the four outer planets in the Solar System is—unlike the Earth—dominated by hydrogen, Saturn’s auroras can only be seen in ultraviolet wavelengths; a part of the electromagnetic spectrum which can only be studied from space.
Hubble allowed researchers to monitor the behaviour of the auroras at Saturn's north pole over an extended period of time. The Hubble observations were coordinated with the “Grand Finale” of the Cassini spacecraft, when the spacecraft simultaneously probed the auroral regions of Saturn [2]. The Hubble data allowed astronomers to learn more about Saturn’s magnetosphere, which is the largest of any planet in the Solar System other than Jupiter.
The images show a rich variety of emissions with highly variable localized features. The variability of the auroras is influenced by both the solar wind and the rapid rotation of Saturn, which lasts only about 11 hours. On top of this, the northern aurora displays two distinct peaks in brightness—at dawn and just before midnight. The latter peak, unreported before, seems specific to the interaction of the solar wind with the magnetosphere at Saturn’s solstice.
The main image presented here is a composite of observations made of Saturn in early 2018 in the optical and of the auroras on Saturn’s north pole region, made in 2017, demonstrating the size of the auroras along with the beautiful colors of Saturn.
Hubble has studied Saturn's auroras in the past. In 2004, it studied the southern auroras shortly after the southern solstice and in 2009 it took advantage of a rare opportunity to record Saturn when its rings were edge-on. This allowed Hubble to observe both poles and their auroras simultaneously.
Notes
[1] The auroras here on Earth have different names depending on which pole they occur at. Aurora Borealis, or the northern lights, is the name given to auroras around the north pole and Aurora Australis, or the southern lights, is the name given for auroras around the south pole.
[2] Cassini was a collaboration between NASA, ESA and the Italian Space Agency. It spent 13 years orbiting Saturn, gathering information and giving astronomers a great insight into the inner workings of Saturn. Cassini took more risks at the end of its mission, travelling through the gap between Saturn and its rings. No spacecraft had previously done this, and Cassini gathered spectacular images of Saturn as well as new data for scientists to work with. On September 15, 2017 Cassini was sent on a controlled crash into Saturn.
The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA.
Credit: NASA, ESA & L. Lamy
Release Date: August 30, 2018
+Hubble Space Telescope
+NASA Goddard
+European Space Agency, ESA
+Space Telescope Science Institute
+NASA Solar System Exploration
#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Planet #Saturn #NorthPole #Aurora #Ultraviolet #MagneticField #Sun #SolarSystem #Telescope #ESA #Goddard #GSFC #STScI #STEM #Education
August 30, 2018: Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space telescope have taken a series of spectacular images featuring the fluttering auroras at the north pole of Saturn. The observations were taken in ultraviolet light and the resulting images provide astronomers with the most comprehensive picture so far of Saturn’s northern aurora.
In 2017, over a period of seven months, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope took images of auroras above Saturn’s north pole region using the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph. The observations were taken before and after the Saturnian northern summer solstice. These conditions provided the best achievable viewing of the northern auroral region for Hubble.
On Earth, auroras are mainly created by particles originally emitted by the Sun in the form of solar wind. When this stream of electrically charged particles gets close to our planet, it interacts with the magnetic field, which acts as a gigantic shield. While it protects Earth’s environment from solar wind particles, it can also trap a small fraction of them. Particles trapped within the magnetosphere —the region of space surrounding Earth in which charged particles are affected by its magnetic field—can be energized and then follow the magnetic field lines down to the magnetic poles. There, they interact with oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the upper layers of the atmosphere, creating the flickering, colorful lights visible in the polar regions here on Earth [1].
However, these auroras are not unique to Earth. Other planets in our Solar System have been found to have similar auroras. Among them are the four gas giants Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Because the atmosphere of each of the four outer planets in the Solar System is—unlike the Earth—dominated by hydrogen, Saturn’s auroras can only be seen in ultraviolet wavelengths; a part of the electromagnetic spectrum which can only be studied from space.
Hubble allowed researchers to monitor the behaviour of the auroras at Saturn's north pole over an extended period of time. The Hubble observations were coordinated with the “Grand Finale” of the Cassini spacecraft, when the spacecraft simultaneously probed the auroral regions of Saturn [2]. The Hubble data allowed astronomers to learn more about Saturn’s magnetosphere, which is the largest of any planet in the Solar System other than Jupiter.
The images show a rich variety of emissions with highly variable localized features. The variability of the auroras is influenced by both the solar wind and the rapid rotation of Saturn, which lasts only about 11 hours. On top of this, the northern aurora displays two distinct peaks in brightness—at dawn and just before midnight. The latter peak, unreported before, seems specific to the interaction of the solar wind with the magnetosphere at Saturn’s solstice.
The main image presented here is a composite of observations made of Saturn in early 2018 in the optical and of the auroras on Saturn’s north pole region, made in 2017, demonstrating the size of the auroras along with the beautiful colors of Saturn.
Hubble has studied Saturn's auroras in the past. In 2004, it studied the southern auroras shortly after the southern solstice and in 2009 it took advantage of a rare opportunity to record Saturn when its rings were edge-on. This allowed Hubble to observe both poles and their auroras simultaneously.
Notes
[1] The auroras here on Earth have different names depending on which pole they occur at. Aurora Borealis, or the northern lights, is the name given to auroras around the north pole and Aurora Australis, or the southern lights, is the name given for auroras around the south pole.
[2] Cassini was a collaboration between NASA, ESA and the Italian Space Agency. It spent 13 years orbiting Saturn, gathering information and giving astronomers a great insight into the inner workings of Saturn. Cassini took more risks at the end of its mission, travelling through the gap between Saturn and its rings. No spacecraft had previously done this, and Cassini gathered spectacular images of Saturn as well as new data for scientists to work with. On September 15, 2017 Cassini was sent on a controlled crash into Saturn.
The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA.
Credit: NASA, ESA & L. Lamy
Release Date: August 30, 2018
+Hubble Space Telescope
+NASA Goddard
+European Space Agency, ESA
+Space Telescope Science Institute
+NASA Solar System Exploration
#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Planet #Saturn #NorthPole #Aurora #Ultraviolet #MagneticField #Sun #SolarSystem #Telescope #ESA #Goddard #GSFC #STScI #STEM #Education
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The Red Rectangle Nebula from Hubble
How was the unusual Red Rectangle nebula created? At the nebula's center is an aging binary star system that surely powers the nebula but does not, as yet, explain its colors. The unusual shape of the Red Rectangle is likely due to a thick dust torus which pinches the otherwise spherical outflow into tip-touching cone shapes. Because we view the torus edge-on, the boundary edges of the cone shapes seem to form an X.
The distinct rungs suggest the outflow occurs in fits and starts. The unusual colors of the nebula are less well understood, however, and speculation holds that they are partly provided by hydrocarbon molecules that may actually be building blocks for organic life. The Red Rectangle nebula lies about 2,300 light years away towards the constellation of the Unicorn (Monoceros).
The nebula is shown here in great detail as recently reprocessed image from Hubble Space Telescope. In a few million years, as one of the central stars becomes further depleted of nuclear fuel, the Red Rectangle nebula will likely bloom into a planetary nebula.
Image & info via APOD
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
Image Credit: Hubble, NASA, ESA;
Processing & License: Judy Schmidt
#space #NASA #universe #nebula #Hubble #ESA
How was the unusual Red Rectangle nebula created? At the nebula's center is an aging binary star system that surely powers the nebula but does not, as yet, explain its colors. The unusual shape of the Red Rectangle is likely due to a thick dust torus which pinches the otherwise spherical outflow into tip-touching cone shapes. Because we view the torus edge-on, the boundary edges of the cone shapes seem to form an X.
The distinct rungs suggest the outflow occurs in fits and starts. The unusual colors of the nebula are less well understood, however, and speculation holds that they are partly provided by hydrocarbon molecules that may actually be building blocks for organic life. The Red Rectangle nebula lies about 2,300 light years away towards the constellation of the Unicorn (Monoceros).
The nebula is shown here in great detail as recently reprocessed image from Hubble Space Telescope. In a few million years, as one of the central stars becomes further depleted of nuclear fuel, the Red Rectangle nebula will likely bloom into a planetary nebula.
Image & info via APOD
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
Image Credit: Hubble, NASA, ESA;
Processing & License: Judy Schmidt
#space #NASA #universe #nebula #Hubble #ESA
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Excellent video buckeroos
Animation of Saturn’s northern auroras | Hubble
This video uses different observations of Saturn: While the observations in the optical, showing the planet itself, were made in 2018, the observations of the auroras were collected in 2017.
The video shows how the auroras in Saturn’s northern regions vary over time. The variability of the auroras is influenced by both the solar wind and the rapid rotation of Saturn.
Credit: ESA/Hubble, NASA & L. Lamy (Observatoire de Paris)
Duration: 19 seconds
Release Date: August 30, 2018
#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Planet #Saturn #NorthPole #Aurora #Ultraviolet #MagneticField #Sun #SolarWind #SolarSystem #Telescope #ESA #Goddard #GSFC #STScI #STEM #Education #HD #Video
This video uses different observations of Saturn: While the observations in the optical, showing the planet itself, were made in 2018, the observations of the auroras were collected in 2017.
The video shows how the auroras in Saturn’s northern regions vary over time. The variability of the auroras is influenced by both the solar wind and the rapid rotation of Saturn.
Credit: ESA/Hubble, NASA & L. Lamy (Observatoire de Paris)
Duration: 19 seconds
Release Date: August 30, 2018
#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Planet #Saturn #NorthPole #Aurora #Ultraviolet #MagneticField #Sun #SolarWind #SolarSystem #Telescope #ESA #Goddard #GSFC #STScI #STEM #Education #HD #Video
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Aurora around Saturn's North Pole
Are Saturn's auroras like Earth's? To help answer this question, the Hubble Space Telescope and the Cassini spacecraft monitored Saturn's North Pole simultaneously during Cassini's final orbits around the gas giant in September 2017. During this time, Saturn's tilt caused its North Pole to be clearly visible from Earth. The featured image is a composite of ultraviolet images of aurora and optical images of Saturn's clouds and rings, all taken recently by Hubble. Like on Earth, Saturn's northern auroras can make total or partial rings around the pole. Unlike on Earth, however, Saturn's auroras are frequently spirals -- and more likely to peak in brightness just before midnight and dawn. In contrast to Jupiter's auroras, Saturn's auroras appear better related to connecting Saturn's internal magnetic field to the nearby, variable, solar wind. Saturn's southern auroras were similarly imaged back in 2004 when the planet's South Pole was clearly visible to Earth.
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, OPAL Program, J. DePasquale (STScI), L. Lamy (Obs. Paris)
Learn more at: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap180903.html
#NASA #ESA #Hubble #OPAL #STScL #Saturn #Planets #Earth #SolarSystem #Astronomy #Space #Aurora #Cassini #SpaceCraft #SpaceTelescopes #SpaceScience #AstroScience #SolarWind
Are Saturn's auroras like Earth's? To help answer this question, the Hubble Space Telescope and the Cassini spacecraft monitored Saturn's North Pole simultaneously during Cassini's final orbits around the gas giant in September 2017. During this time, Saturn's tilt caused its North Pole to be clearly visible from Earth. The featured image is a composite of ultraviolet images of aurora and optical images of Saturn's clouds and rings, all taken recently by Hubble. Like on Earth, Saturn's northern auroras can make total or partial rings around the pole. Unlike on Earth, however, Saturn's auroras are frequently spirals -- and more likely to peak in brightness just before midnight and dawn. In contrast to Jupiter's auroras, Saturn's auroras appear better related to connecting Saturn's internal magnetic field to the nearby, variable, solar wind. Saturn's southern auroras were similarly imaged back in 2004 when the planet's South Pole was clearly visible to Earth.
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, OPAL Program, J. DePasquale (STScI), L. Lamy (Obs. Paris)
Learn more at: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap180903.html
#NASA #ESA #Hubble #OPAL #STScL #Saturn #Planets #Earth #SolarSystem #Astronomy #Space #Aurora #Cassini #SpaceCraft #SpaceTelescopes #SpaceScience #AstroScience #SolarWind
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Hubble Captures Enormous Northern Auroras on Saturn
http://www.sci-news.com/astronomy/northern-auroras-saturn-06360.html
#astronomy #space #science #Hubble #NASA #ESA
http://www.sci-news.com/astronomy/northern-auroras-saturn-06360.html
#astronomy #space #science #Hubble #NASA #ESA
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Saturn’s Northern Auroras | Hubble
The image, observed with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph in the ultraviolet, shows the auroras surrounding Saturn’s north pole region. In comparing the different observations it became clear that Saturn’s auroras show a rich variety of emissions with highly variable localized features. The variability of the auroras is influenced by both the solar wind and the rapid rotation of Saturn.
Credit: ESA/Hubble, NASA & L. Lamy (Observatoire de Paris)
Release Date: August 30, 2018
#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Planet #Saturn #NorthPole #Aurora #Ultraviolet #MagneticField #Sun #SolarWind #SolarSystem #Telescope #ESA #Goddard #GSFC #STScI #STEM #Education
The image, observed with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph in the ultraviolet, shows the auroras surrounding Saturn’s north pole region. In comparing the different observations it became clear that Saturn’s auroras show a rich variety of emissions with highly variable localized features. The variability of the auroras is influenced by both the solar wind and the rapid rotation of Saturn.
Credit: ESA/Hubble, NASA & L. Lamy (Observatoire de Paris)
Release Date: August 30, 2018
#NASA #Hubble #Astronomy #Space #Planet #Saturn #NorthPole #Aurora #Ultraviolet #MagneticField #Sun #SolarWind #SolarSystem #Telescope #ESA #Goddard #GSFC #STScI #STEM #Education
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#planets #space #stars #universe #astronomy #nasa #moon #galaxy #cosmos #earth #astrophotography #art #solarsystem #science #planet #astronaut #milkyway #sky #love #spacex #nebula #sun #outerspace #nightsky #interstellar #mars #hubble #photography #nature #bhfyp https://www.teesfashionstyle.com/product/natural-nasa-t-shirt-gift-tees-unisex-adult-cool-tee-shirts/
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