Green Blotches Illuminate Neptune’s Atmosphere
In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers have observed infrared auroras in Neptune’s atmosphere for the first time, confirming scientific speculations held for decades.
During NASA’s Voyager 2 mission in 1989, initial indications of aurora activity in Neptune’s clouds were detected but could not be verified due to limitations in technology at the time. The advent of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) marks a significant advancement in capability, enabling scientists to finally detect these phenomena.
“This discovery fulfills years of anticipation,” stated a lead researcher from the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy.
Utilizing JWST’s NIRSpec, a state-of-the-art infrared imaging tool, the team captured spectroscopic images of Neptune, revealing various wavelengths of light emitted by the planet. Following successful detections of infrared auroras on Uranus in 2023, this latest finding extends the knowledge to Neptune.
Additionally, the findings have initiated the creation of a map of Neptune’s unique magnetic field. This area is particularly intriguing as it hosts some of the solar system’s most unusual magnetic poles.
Unlike the magnetic poles of Earth, Jupiter, or Saturn, Neptune’s magnetic poles are not aligned with its rotational poles, being offset by nearly half the planet’s radius. Consequently, its auroras manifest as irregular patterns nearer to its equator, aligning with the region comparable to South America on Earth.
Besides the auroras, JWST data indicate that Neptune’s ionosphere has cooled significantly, averaging about 10 percent lower in temperature than during the Voyager 2 flyby nearly 36 years ago. Similar cooling trends have been noted on Uranus.
While the reasons for this cooling remain unclear, researchers are optimistic that their next observation period with JWST, scheduled for 2026, will yield further insights.
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