Auroras at Saturn's poles could be the heat source that keeps the upper layers of the planet hot, NASA's Cassini finds
4 years, 11 months ago

Auroras at Saturn's poles could be the heat source that keeps the upper layers of the planet hot, NASA's Cassini finds

Firstpost  

The upper layers in the atmospheres of gas giants — Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune — are hot, just like Earth’s. A new analysis of data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft finds a viable explanation for what’s keeping the upper layers of Saturn, and possibly the other gas giants, so hot: auroras at the planet’s north and south poles. Electric currents, triggered by interactions between solar winds and charged particles from Saturn’s moons, spark the auroras and heat the upper atmosphere. By building a complete picture of how heat circulates in the atmosphere, scientists are better able to understand how auroral electric currents heat the upper layers of Saturn’s atmosphere and drive winds. Understanding Saturn’s upper atmosphere, where planet meets space, is key to understanding space weather, and its impact on other planets in our solar system and exoplanets around other stars.

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Saturn's High-altitude Winds Can Create Extraordinary Planetary Aurorae, Finds Study
3 years, 1 month ago

Saturn's High-altitude Winds Can Create Extraordinary Planetary Aurorae, Finds Study

News 18  

Among all the planets in our solar system, Saturn has always attracted scientists’ attention for its unique appearance and immense size. The study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, has found how Saturn is unique among planets in the solar system since some of its aurorae are generated by swirling winds within its own atmosphere, and not just from the planet’s …

Cassini may be dead, but a new era of Saturn science has just begun
7 years, 3 months ago

Cassini may be dead, but a new era of Saturn science has just begun

LA Times  

NASA’s Cassini mission to Saturn may have came to a fiery end in September, but observations made by the spacecraft in its final months still have plenty to teach us about the mysteries of the ringed planet. “Saturn’s ionosphere is much more complicated than anyone could imagine.” After traveling in the Saturn system for nearly 13 years, Cassini launched on …

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