The Juno spacecraft has finally figured out why auroral "dawn rains" occur every morning on Jupiter.
This illustration depicts ultraviolet polar aurorae on Jupiter and Earth. While the diameter of the Jovian world is 10 times larger than that of Earth, both planets have markedly similar aurora.
ScienceDaily said the NASA Hubble Space Telescope observed auroral "dawn storms" on both Jovian poles in the morning. These storms generate spectacular blue lights that almost encircle the planet's poles.
Scientists have been able to solve the mystery of Jupiter's dawn storms using data from Juno's Ultraviolet Spectrograph instrument.
Mysteries of 'Dawn Storm' Auroras on Jupiter: What Did the Scientists Discover?
The storms first appear on Jupiter's nightside, according to NASA researchers.
The space agency said dawn storms migrate towards the dayside of the earth as the planet rotates, increasing the amplitude of the aurora characteristics.
NASA said the increased luminosity of the auroras indicates that the dawn storms are pouring at least 10 times more energy into Jupiter's upper atmosphere than normal aurora.
"When we looked at the whole dawn storm sequence, we couldn't help but notice that they are very similar to a type of terrestrial auroras called substorms," said Zhonghua Yao, co-author of the study from the University of Liège.
Substorms on Earth occur as minor disturbances in the magnetosphere of our world cause high-energy particles to be released into the ionosphere, a layer of the atmosphere.
ALSO READ: NASA's Juno Spots "Dancing' Sprites, Elves" in Jupiter's Atmosphere
A small blast of light and energy is emitted as substorms arise.
Experts assume this is analogous to what happens during Jupiter's dawn winds, which shocked them considering the large variations in Jupiter's and Earth's atmospheres.
The association of the solar wind - the current of charged particles streaming from the Sun - with Earth's magnetic field, according to NASA, is basically what governs the magnetosphere on Earth.
Jupiter's magnetosphere is largely inhabited by ions escaping from the volcanic moon Io, which are then ionized and locked around the gas giant by its magnetic field, according to the space agency.
What Did The Scientists Conclude?
Experts will be able to better appreciate the variations and parallels that drive auroras on planets as a result of the recent observations.
Scott Bolton, principal investigator of Juno at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, said the strength that Jupiter possesses is "amazing."
He pointed out that the energy in these dawn aurorae is just another demonstration of how powerful this massive earth is."
Bolton said the Juno mission is continually updating the book about how giant planets operate, and the dawn storm discoveries are just another surprise.
With NASA's latest mission expansion, he said scientists could expect even more new findings and observations.
RELATED ARTICLE: NASA Extends Juno, InSight Missions to Two Planets
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