ANIMATIONS OF SATURN’S AURORA

 

Earth isn’t the only planet in the solar system with spectacular light shows. Both Jupiter and Saturn have magnetic fields much stronger than Earth’s. Auroras also have been observed on the surfaces of Venus, Mars and even on moons (e.g. Io, Europa, and Ganymede). The auroras on Saturn are created when solar wind particles are channeled into the planet’s magnetic field toward its poles, where they interact with electrically charged gas (plasma) in the upper atmosphere and emit light.

Aurora features on Saturn can also be caused by electromagnetic waves generated when its moons move through the plasma that fills the planet’s magnetosphere.  The main source is the small moon Enceladus, which ejects water vapor from the geysers on its south pole, a portion of which is ionized. The interaction between Saturn’s magnetosphere and the solar wind generates bright oval aurora around the planet’s poles observed in visible, infrared and ultraviolet light.

The aurora of Saturn are highly variable. Their location and brightness strongly depends on the Solar wind pressure: the aurora become brighter and move closer to the poles when the Solar wind pressure increases.

Credit: ESA/Hubble (M. K)