A crew of astrophysicists and astronomers from Harbin Institute of Expertise, Johns Hopkins College and Peking College has discovered proof from Voyager 2 knowledge displaying that Jupiter has a minimum of three magnetosheath jets. The examine is published in Nature Communications.
Magnetosheath jets are streams of plasma that kind round planets within the space the place the solar winds strike a planet’s magnetic area—they kind as collisions gradual the solar wind whereas additionally heating it. Jets have been discovered round Earth and Mars (simply final summer time) and there’s proof that jets could exist round Mercury. Due to the Mars discovering, researchers have been looking for them round different planets. On this new effort, the analysis crew seemed for proof of jets round Jupiter.
They studied knowledge from Voyager 2, a craft that handed near Jupiter again in 1979. They selected to review its knowledge moderately than knowledge from different more moderen craft as a result of Voyager 2 didn’t strategy as intently. The analysis crew suspected proof of jets would have to be from an inexpensive distance from the planet as a result of its enormous magnetosphere—prior analysis has proven that it extends as much as 3 million kilometers from the planet.
The researchers discovered what they describe as an uptick in proton distribution—proof of jets, one shifting towards the sun, and two shifting in the other way. Additionally they discovered that the dimensions of Jupiter’s bow shock (the purpose the place the solar winds strike the magnetic field) was related in scale in comparison with bow shocks for each Earth and Mars.
The analysis crew suggests discovery of jets round Jupiter will increase the percentages of discovering them round all or a lot of the different planets within the solar system, and past. It additionally helps scientists to higher perceive how all of the layers round planets work together—one thing that might show helpful as people try to journey to different elements of the solar system.
Extra info:
Yufei Zhou et al, Magnetosheath jets at Jupiter and throughout the solar system, Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43942-4
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Jupiter has a minimum of three magnetosheath jets, finds Voyager 2 knowledge examine (2024, January 11)
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