Other Planets have Aurorae too! Even Mars!

With all the talk of the large geomagnetic storm of the past few days, it’s important to understand that other worlds have beautiful auroral activity as well.  Being on Earth and seeing the gorgeous displays that result from our magnetic field protecting us from harmful solar radiation, the best views come from Earth.  But there are several other places in our own solar system that have aurora.

Aurora over Iceland

Jupiter has a massive magnetic field, and its gigantic aurora are visible here.

Credit: NASA/ESA/HST

Jupiter’s moon Ganymede is the only moon in the solar system that has auroral activity.

Aurora on Ganymede

Saturn has its own, discovered by Cassini.

Credit: Cassini

Even Mars has its own aurora, visible in Ultraviolet, announced just yesterday.

Artist’s conception of MAVEN observing the “Christmas Lights Aurora” on Mars. (University of Colorado)

Aurora are everywhere, and give us clues to the atmospheric and magnetic environments around planets and moons.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.