SOLAR SYSTEM · 2017-12-08
Alien aurorae spotted on Uranus by Hubble
A familiar phenomenon appears on an unfamiliar world: bright auroral signatures near Uranus’s upper atmosphere.
What to observe
- Locate the small bright regions against the planet’s disk.
- Compare their scale and placement with the whole planet.
Explanation
Hubble observations detected auroral activity on Uranus. As on Earth, the emission is tied to energetic particles, an atmosphere and a planetary magnetic field, though Uranus has a very different geometry.
Color method
The published view combines observations to make the auroral signatures and the planet legible together; it is an analytical composite rather than a single naked-eye exposure.
Why it matters
The same broad physical process can produce different visual patterns when a planet’s atmosphere and magnetic field differ.
Sources and credits
Asset credit: NASA Goddard / GSFC