Aurora on Neptune confirmed after decades of suspicion
Neptune harbors cosmic secrets, in part because of its distance from Earth. But researchers have just unlocked one of the planet's mysteries by using the unique capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope to spot auroras glowing in its atmosphere.
"It was so stunning to not just see the auroras, but the detail and clarity of the signature really shocked me," said Henrik Melin, lead author of a study focused on the planet. "Turns out, actually imaging the auroral activity on Neptune was only possible with Webb's near-infrared sensitivity."
This marks the first time the celestial lights have been confirmed on Neptune, although scientists had long suspected the phenomenon occasionally occurs on the planet.
The auroras on the distant world differ greatly than those seen on Earth, particularly where the lights appear on the planet.
"Instead of being confined to the planet's northern and southern poles, Neptune's auroras are located at the planet's geographic mid-latitudes - think where South America is located on Earth," NASA explained. This is due to Neptune's magnetic field being tilted 47 degrees on its axis.
The study also found that part of Neptune's atmosphere has cooled dramatically since 1989, when Voyager 2 flew past the planet. "I was astonished - Neptune's upper atmosphere has cooled by several hundreds of degrees," Melin said. "In fact, the temperature in 2023 was just over half of that in 1989."
Neptune fast facts:
•It takes Neptune 165 years to complete one orbit around the sun•Neptune was discovered on Sept. 23, 1846•Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft to have visited the planet, making its closest approach on Aug. 25, 1989•Neptune has "dark spots," massive storms that can last for years•The planet appears blue due to the methane in its atmosphere
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