Latest news with #HenrikMelin
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
North East scientists help capture stunning images of Neptune auroras
Scientists at Northumbria University have captured images of auroral activity on Neptune. This was achieved using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, which observes space in infrared radiation. Auroras occur when energetic particles, often from the sun, are caught in a planet's magnetic field and collide with the upper atmosphere, releasing energy which creates a glow. Neptune's auroras were previously hinted at during NASA's Voyager 2 flyby in 1989, but have remained elusive to astronomers, unlike successful detections on Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus. The James Webb Space Telescope, launched in December 2021, has now made these sightings possible. Neptune's auroras as captured by the Hubble Space Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope (Image: Space Telescope Science Institute Office of Public Outreach) The telescope's infrared capability allowed it to capture images of Neptune's auroras and a surprising temperature change over the past 30 years. Details of these findings were published in the journal Nature Astronomy. Dr Henrik Melin, a researcher at Northumbria University, said: "It turns out, actually imaging the auroral activity on Neptune was only possible with Webb's near-infrared sensitivity. "It was so stunning to not just see the auroras, but the detail and clarity of the signature really shocked me." In addition to imaging the auroras, researchers also characterised the planet's upper atmosphere. An illustration of the Webb telescope showing the segmented mirror and layered sunshield (Image: Northumbria University) They found an emission line indicating trihydrogen cation (H3+), which can be created in auroras. In Webb's images of Neptune, the glowing auroras appear as splotches of cyan. Heidi Hammel of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, said: "H3+ has been a clear signifier on all the gas giants – Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus – of auroral activity, and we expected to see the same on Neptune as we investigated the planet over the years with the best ground-based facilities available. "Only with a machine like Webb have we finally gotten that confirmation." Neptune's auroras are different from those on Earth, Jupiter, or Saturn. Instead of being confined to the poles, Neptune's auroras are located at the geographic mid-latitudes due to its unusual magnetic field, which is tilted by 47 degrees from the planet's rotation axis. The detection of Neptune's auroras will aid understanding of how the planet's magnetic field interacts with particles from the sun. The team also measured the temperature of Neptune's upper atmosphere for the first time since 1989. Dr Melin said: "I was astonished — Neptune's upper atmosphere has cooled by several hundreds of degrees. "In fact, the temperature in 2023 was just over half of that in 1989." This colder temperature suggests why Neptune's auroras have remained undetected for so long as it would result in much fainter auroras. This cooling suggests that the region of the atmosphere can change greatly despite the planet's distance from the Sun. Astronomers now hope to study Neptune over a full solar cycle, which can provide insights into the origin of Neptune's tilted magnetic field. Leigh Fletcher, co-author of the paper and a researcher at Leicester University, said: "As we look ahead and dream of future missions to Uranus and Neptune, we now know how important it will be to have instruments tuned to the wavelengths of infrared light to continue to study the auroras. "This observatory has finally opened the window onto this last, previously hidden ionosphere of the giant planets."
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
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
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
First-Ever Images of Neptune's Eerie Glow Finally Reveal Missing Aurora
The most elusive planetary aurora in the Solar System has finally been revealed in all its gently glowing glory. Far from the Sun, and Earth, the sky-blue planet Neptune has been captured shimmering in near-infrared light as particles interact in its hazy atmosphere. It's the first time an aurora has been imaged on the Solar System's outermost known planet, thanks to the sensitivity of JWST's powerful near-infrared spectrometer. At last, the set is complete. Auroras have been seen on every single planet in the Solar System, revealing that the phenomenon is not just widespread, but a feature of the interaction between planets and the Sun. The phenomenon does, however, look very different depending on the world on which it appears. Earth's auroras are the most spectacular, a panoply of colors that light up the sky when particles from the solar wind slam into Earth's magnetic field, where they rain down into the upper atmosphere. The interaction between these incoming particles and the atmosphere's resident particles causes dancing, glowing lights. Jupiter has the most powerful, energetic auroras in the Solar System, permanent caps of bright ultraviolet light. Actually, its four largest moons have auroras, too. Saturn likewise has ultraviolet auroras, as does Mars. Venus has green auroras, much like those seen on Earth. Mercury's aurora is, perhaps, the strangest; because it has no atmosphere, the aurora manifests as X-ray fluorescence from the interaction between solar particles and minerals on the surface. For a long time, it was unclear what auroral activity, if any, might be present on Uranus and Neptune, so far from the Sun: Uranus orbits at around 19 times the distance between the Sun and Earth, and Neptune at around 30 times. In 2023, an analysis of archival data confirmed the presence of infrared auroras at the Uranian equator. Now, JWST data has proven the existence of similar auroras at Neptune. In 2023, the space telescope obtained a detailed spectrum of Neptune's atmosphere, revealing the clear presence of the trihydrogen cation (H3+) – a positively charged form of trihydrogen associated with auroras. By tracking the concentration of H3+ across the skies of Neptune, a team of astronomers led by Henrik Melin of Northumbria University in the UK was able to map the location of the planet's auroras. Interestingly, a quirk of Neptune's magnetic field meant that its auroras were not where they would appear here on Earth. The lines of our planet's magnetic field converge around the poles; when solar particles are whisked away and dumped into the atmosphere, high latitudes are the focal point of the dumping. Neptune and Uranus both have very messy, lopsided magnetic fields. On Neptune, the dumping point for solar particles is near the planet's equator, rather than the poles. JWST measurements of the temperature of the distant ice giant also revealed why we've had such a hard time detecting Neptune's auroras. Temperatures of Neptune reported by Voyager 2 measurements – the only human-made spacecraft to have ever neared the planet – were much higher than those detected by JWST, suggesting the planet has cooled significantly since 1989. Colder temperatures mean fainter auroras. Previous predictions about Neptune's possible auroras were based on inaccurate temperatures, so scientists had been looking for the wrong thing. This discovery gives us a new tool to interpret, not just the variety that can be exhibited by a single phenomenon across very different worlds here in the Solar System, but also on other worlds orbiting alien stars. "Since the most commonly detected type of extrasolar planet is Neptune-sized, and as Neptune lacks the extreme seasons of Uranus," the researchers write in their paper, "these observations provide a new diagnostic to probe atmosphere-magnetosphere interactions on the most common-sized worlds in our galaxy." The research has been published in Nature Astronomy. Toxic Mars Dust Could Pose Major Health Risks For Future Astronauts Stunning Swirl in Europe's Skies Caused by Classified Space X Mission Supermoon This Week Will Coincide With Rare 'Devil Horns' Solar Eclipse
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Telescope captures sight of bright auroras, but these aren't on Earth
WASHINGTON – NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has captured the first-ever images of aurora activity on Neptune, unveiling new secrets about the distant planet. The space agency explained that, in the past, scientists could only speculate about such activity on the solar system's eighth planet, but glowing splotches observed by Webb in 2023 have led to groundbreaking theories. "Turns out, actually imaging the auroral activity on Neptune was only possible with Webb's near-infrared sensitivity," Henrik Melin, an associate professor at Northumbria University, said in a statement. "It was so stunning to not just see the auroras, but the detail and clarity of the signature really shocked me." Experts who examined the data found splotches in the imagery of Neptune, along with a signature of specially charged molecules, which indicated the existence of auroral activity. This phenomenon has also been observed on other gas giants. Auroras occur when particles from the Sun enter a planet's magnetic field and collide with the upper atmosphere, releasing energy in the form of light. While the aurora phenomenon is well documented on Earth, it has also been observed on Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Mars, and Venus - but with some key differences. 7 Things To Know About The Northern Lights Nasa pointed out that unlike Earth's auroras, which are typically confined to the planet's northern and southern poles, events on Neptune are located around the planet's mid-latitudes. The agency did not specify how frequently these auroras occur, but on Earth, the Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis occur nearly every evening. Scientists say the discovery is not only visually stunning but will also lead to critical studies about Neptune's composition. In addition to capturing the auroral images, Webb's instruments have allowed astronomers to measure the temperature of Neptune's atmosphere. Data revealed that the planet's upper layers have significantly cooled since observations made by the Voyager 2 spacecraft. On August 25, 1989, Voyager 2 passed just 3,000 miles above Neptune, gathering the first-ever close-up observations, which were transmitted back to Earth. By comparing data collected over 30 years ago, researchers now believe Neptune's atmospheric temperature has dropped by several hundred degrees, explaining why the auroras were previously difficult to detect. "I was astonished — Neptune's upper atmosphere has cooled by several hundred degrees," Melin said. "In fact, the temperature in 2023 was just over half of that in 1989." Did The National Weather Service Capture A Photo Of Bigfoot During A Pennsylvania Storm Survey? Scientists have yet to explain why the planet is believed to have cooled so significantly, with potential contributing factors ranging from the Sun's cycles to local weather patterns. With the new findings, astronomers hope to study Neptune's changes over the course of a full solar cycle, which will provide valuable insights into how the Sun affects the region nearly 3 billion miles away. "As we look ahead and dream of future missions to Uranus and Neptune, we now know how important it will be to have instruments tuned to the wavelengths of infrared light to continue studying the auroras," said Leigh Fletcher, a professor of planetary science at Leicester University. "This observatory has finally opened the window onto this last, previously hidden ionosphere of the giant planets."Original article source: Telescope captures sight of bright auroras, but these aren't on Earth
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Auroras on ice giant revealed: Space photo of the day
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. For the first time, the James Webb Space Telescope (JSWT) has revealed bright auroral activity on the planet Neptune. Capturing the auroral activity on the ice giant has been long in coming, even though similar areas of trapped solar energetic particles have been successfully imaged in the atmospheres of Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus. Previously, the existence of auroral activity on Neptune was only hinted at, as instruments on NASA's Voyager 2 probe, which flew by the planet in 1989, and the Hubble Space Telescope were unable to capture the glow.'Turns out, actually imaging the auroral activity on Neptune was only possible with Webb's near-infrared sensitivity,' said Henrik Melin of Northumbria University, whose research while at the University of Leicester has now been published in the journal Nature. 'It was so stunning to not just see the auroras, but the detail and clarity of the signature really shocked me.' In Webb's images of Neptune, the aurora appears as lighter blue or cyan areas set against the blue planet. The auroral glow occurs because of the same basic interaction of solar particles interacting with the planet's atmosphere, but instead of being confined to the north and south poles, Neptune's auroras are located at the planet's mid-latitudes — roughly where South America is located on Earth. The location of Neptune's auroral glow is the result the planet's magnetic field, which is tilted by 47 degrees from the planet's rotation axis. Auroral activity occurs where a planet's magnetic fields converge into its atmosphere, so Neptune's auroras are found far from its rotational poles. The detection of Neptune's auroras will help astronomers better understand how particles from the sun interact with its atmosphere, providing a new area of study about ice giant planets. The data from the Webb Space Telescope also enabled measurements of the temperature at the top of Neptune's atmosphere for the first time since Voyager 2's flyby. Those results may point to why Neptune's auroras have gone unseen until now. "I was astonished — Neptune's upper atmosphere has cooled by several hundreds of degrees,' Melin said in a Space Telescope Science Institute release. "In fact, the temperature in 2023 was just over half of that in 1989." You can read more about Neptune and aurora on Earth. You can also read what it would be like to see aurora on other planets and how infrared aurora was first detected on Uranus in 2023.
