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Hubble Captures Vivid Auroras... * Hubble Home * Overview + About Hubble + The History of Hubble + Hubble Timeline + Why Have a Telescope in Space? + Hubble by the Numbers + At the Museum + FAQs * Impact & Benefits + Hubble's Impact & Benefits + Science Impacts + Cultural Impact + Technology Benefits + Impact on Human Spaceflight + Astro Community Impacts * Science + Hubble Science + Science Themes + Science Highlights + Science Behind Discoveries + Hubble's Partners in Science + Universe Uncovered + Explore the Night Sky * Observatory + Hubble Observatory + Hubble Design + Mission Operations + Missions to Hubble + Hubble vs Webb * Team + Hubble Team + Career Aspirations + Hubble Astronauts * News + Hubble News + Hubble News Archive + Social Media + Media Resources * Multimedia + Multimedia + Images + Videos + Sonifications + Podcasts + e-Books + Online Activities + Lithographs + Fact Sheets + Posters + Hubble on the NASA App + Glossary * More + 35th Anniversary + Online Activities 4 min read Hubble Captures Vivid Auroras in Jupiter's Atmosphere The headshot image of NASA Hubble Mission Team NASA Hubble Mission Team Goddard Space Flight Center Jun 30, 2016 Article * * * * Framed image of the planet Jupiter, a sphere with horizontal stripes of brown, tan, orange, beige, light blue, and white against a solid black background. Astronomers are using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope to study auroras - stunning light shows in a planet's atmosphere - on the poles of the largest planet in the solar system, Jupiter. The auroras were photographed during a series of Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph... Astronomers are using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to study auroras -- stunning light shows in a planet's atmosphere -- on the poles of the largest planet in the solar system, Jupiter. This observation program is supported by measurements made by NASA's Juno spacecraft, currently on its way to Jupiter. Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, is best known for its colorful storms, the most famous being the Great Red Spot. Now astronomers have focused on another beautiful feature of the planet, using Hubble's ultraviolet capabilities. The extraordinary vivid glows shown in the new observations are known as auroras. They are created when high-energy particles enter a planet's atmosphere near its magnetic poles and collide with atoms of gas. As well as producing beautiful images, this program aims to determine how various components of Jupiter's auroras respond to different conditions in the solar wind, a stream of charged particles ejected from the sun. This observation program is perfectly timed as NASA's Juno spacecraft is currently in the solar wind near Jupiter and will enter the orbit of the planet in early July 2016. While Hubble is observing and measuring the auroras on Jupiter, Juno is measuring the properties of the solar wind itself; a perfect collaboration between a telescope and a space probe. "These auroras are very dramatic and among the most active I have ever seen", said Jonathan Nichols from the University of Leicester, U.K., and principal investigator of the study. "It almost seems as if Jupiter is throwing a firework party for the imminent arrival of Juno." To highlight changes in the auroras Hubble is observing Jupiter almost daily for several months. Using this series of far-ultraviolet images from Hubble's Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph, it is possible for scientists to create videos that demonstrate the movement of the vivid auroras, which cover areas bigger than Earth. Not only are the auroras huge in size, they are also hundreds of times more energetic than auroras on Earth. And, unlike those on Earth, they never cease. While on Earth the most intense auroras are caused by solar storms -- when charged particles rain down on the upper atmosphere, excite gases and cause them to glow red, green and purple -- Jupiter has an additional source for its auroras. The strong magnetic field of the gas giant grabs charged particles from its surroundings. This includes not only the charged particles within the solar wind but also the particles thrown into space by its orbiting moon Io, known for its numerous and large volcanoes. The new observations and measurements made with Hubble and Juno will help to better understand how the sun and other sources influence auroras. While the observations with Hubble are still ongoing and the analysis of the data will take several more months, the first images and videos are already available and show the auroras on Jupiter's north pole in their full beauty. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, manages the Juno mission for Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas. Juno is part of NASA's New Frontiers Program, which is managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington, D.C. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft. The California Institute of Technology in Pasadena manages JPL for NASA. The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) in Washington, D.C. Related Images & Videos Framed image of the planet Jupiter, a sphere with horizontal stripes of brown, tan, orange, beige, light blue, and white against a solid black background. Auroras on Jupiter Astronomers are using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope to study auroras - stunning light shows in a planet's atmosphere - on the poles of the largest planet in the solar system, Jupiter. The auroras were photographed during a series of Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph... The planet Jupiter. A planet covered in horizontal bands of swirling clouds. Jupiter WFC3/UVIS This visible-light image of Jupiter was taken with the Wide Field Camera 3 aboard NASA's Hubble Space Telescope on April 21, 2014. Image titled "Jupiter Aurora, HST STIS + WFC3/UVIS" with scale bar and color key. Scale and Compass Image for Jupiter Aurora Hubble Time-lapse of Aurora on Jupiter (May 19, 2016) Hubble Time-Lapse of Aurora on Jupiter (May 19, 2016) This time-lapse video of the vivid auroras in Jupiter's atmosphere was created using far-ultraviolet-light observations made on May 19, 2016, with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph aboard NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Hubble is particularly suited to observing and... Hubble Time-lapse of Aurora on Jupiter (June 2, 2016) Hubble Time-Lapse of Aurora on Jupiter (June 2, 2016) This time-lapse video of the vivid auroras in Jupiter's atmosphere was created using far-ultraviolet-light observations made on June 2, 2016, with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph aboard NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Hubble is particularly suited to observing and... Hubble Tracks Bright Auroras on Jupiter (Composite Video Sequence 1) Hubble Tracks Bright Auroras on Jupiter (Composite Video Sequence 1) This composite video illustrates the auroras on Jupiter relative to their position on the giant planet. As on Earth, auroras are produced by the interaction of a planet's magnetic field with its atmosphere. The Jupiter auroras observed by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope are some... Hubble Tracks Bright Auroras on Jupiter (Composite Video Sequence 2) Hubble Tracks Bright Auroras on Jupiter (Composite Video Sequence 2) This composite video illustrates the auroras on Jupiter relative to their position on the giant planet. As on Earth, auroras are produced by the interaction of a planet's magnetic field with its atmosphere. The Jupiter auroras observed by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope are some... Share * * * * Details Last Updated Mar 20, 2025 Location NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Contact Media Claire Andreoli NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, Maryland claire.andreoli@nasa.gov Credits NASA, ESA, and J. Nichols (University of Leicester); Acknowledgment: A. Simon (NASA/GSFC) and the OPAL team Related Terms * Hubble Space Telescope * Astrophysics * Exoplanet Atmosphere * Goddard Space Flight Center * Jupiter * Planetary Environments & Atmospheres * Planets * The Solar System Related Links and Documents * Hubble-Europe's Release * NASA's Hubble Portal Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From Hubble Hubble Space Telescope Since its 1990 launch, the Hubble Space Telescope has changed our fundamental understanding of the universe. 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