* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Saturday, August 23, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    How to watch ‘F1: The Movie’ on Prime Video – About Amazon

    Experience the Thrill: How to Stream ‘F1: The Movie’ on Prime Video

    FOX One is now available on Prime Video: Here’s everything to know – About Amazon

    FOX One is now available on Prime Video: Here’s everything to know – About Amazon

    What Are Our Predictions for Taylor Swift’s ‘Life of a Showgirl’ Based on What She’s Told Us So Far? – yahoo.com

    Uncover the Hidden Surprises in Taylor Swift’s ‘Life of a Showgirl’ – Can You Decode Her Clues?

    Bama Dining Serving Up New Food, Entertainment – UA News Center

    Bama Dining Launches Thrilling New Food and Entertainment Experiences

    The latest on Williams-Brice Stadium renovations, entertainment district – On3

    Discover the Thrilling New Upgrades Coming to Williams-Brice Stadium and Its Vibrant Entertainment District!

    1000+ Entertainment Leaders Release Open Letter Criticizing TIFF’s Handling of Film – Creative Community for Peace

    1000+ Entertainment Leaders Release Open Letter Criticizing TIFF’s Handling of Film – Creative Community for Peace

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Alcorn State awarded grant to boost STEM with VR technology – WJTV

    Alcorn State Secures Grant to Transform STEM Education Through Cutting-Edge VR Technology

    Hyundai: The Only Way To Beat China Is To Embrace Technology – InsideEVs

    Hyundai’s Bold Strategy to Outpace China with Cutting-Edge Technology

    Teaching older adults how to use technology – WWNY

    Empowering Older Adults to Master Technology with Confidence

    Denver man receives pacemaker using new technology – CBS News

    Denver Man’s Life Transformed by Revolutionary Pacemaker Technology

    Morgan County Rescue Squad is using new technology to recover people missing in the water faster – WAFF

    Morgan County Rescue Squad is using new technology to recover people missing in the water faster – WAFF

    YSU to celebrate launch of new radiology technology program – WKBN.com

    YSU Launches Exciting New Radiology Technology Program Celebration

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    How to watch ‘F1: The Movie’ on Prime Video – About Amazon

    Experience the Thrill: How to Stream ‘F1: The Movie’ on Prime Video

    FOX One is now available on Prime Video: Here’s everything to know – About Amazon

    FOX One is now available on Prime Video: Here’s everything to know – About Amazon

    What Are Our Predictions for Taylor Swift’s ‘Life of a Showgirl’ Based on What She’s Told Us So Far? – yahoo.com

    Uncover the Hidden Surprises in Taylor Swift’s ‘Life of a Showgirl’ – Can You Decode Her Clues?

    Bama Dining Serving Up New Food, Entertainment – UA News Center

    Bama Dining Launches Thrilling New Food and Entertainment Experiences

    The latest on Williams-Brice Stadium renovations, entertainment district – On3

    Discover the Thrilling New Upgrades Coming to Williams-Brice Stadium and Its Vibrant Entertainment District!

    1000+ Entertainment Leaders Release Open Letter Criticizing TIFF’s Handling of Film – Creative Community for Peace

    1000+ Entertainment Leaders Release Open Letter Criticizing TIFF’s Handling of Film – Creative Community for Peace

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Alcorn State awarded grant to boost STEM with VR technology – WJTV

    Alcorn State Secures Grant to Transform STEM Education Through Cutting-Edge VR Technology

    Hyundai: The Only Way To Beat China Is To Embrace Technology – InsideEVs

    Hyundai’s Bold Strategy to Outpace China with Cutting-Edge Technology

    Teaching older adults how to use technology – WWNY

    Empowering Older Adults to Master Technology with Confidence

    Denver man receives pacemaker using new technology – CBS News

    Denver Man’s Life Transformed by Revolutionary Pacemaker Technology

    Morgan County Rescue Squad is using new technology to recover people missing in the water faster – WAFF

    Morgan County Rescue Squad is using new technology to recover people missing in the water faster – WAFF

    YSU to celebrate launch of new radiology technology program – WKBN.com

    YSU Launches Exciting New Radiology Technology Program Celebration

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home Science

Auroras across the solar system are powered in the same way, Mercury results suggest

July 18, 2023
in Science
Auroras across the solar system are powered in the same way, Mercury results suggest
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Home

News

Science & Astronomy

illustration of a spacecraft studying purplish auroras over the planet mercury, with the blackness of space in the background

Artist’s representation of the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission flying through precipitating electrons that can trigger X-ray auroras on the surface of Mercury.
(Image credit: Thibaut Roger/Europlanet (CC BY-SA 4.0))

The way in which the radiant displays of colors in the sky known as auroras form on Earth may be how these lights arise throughout the solar system, according to new findings from Mercury.

On Earth, auroras — also known as the northern and southern lights — result when streams of high-speed particles from the sun, collectively known as the solar wind, slam into our world’s magnetosphere, the shell of electrically charged particles trapped by the planet’s magnetic field.

Mercury, the smallest and least massive of the solar system’s planets, also possesses a magnetosphere. However, its magnetosphere is typically only about 5% the size of Earth’s. This is because the magnetic field of Mercury is less than 1% as strong as our planet’s, Sae Aizawa, a planetary scientist and space plasma physicist at the Institute for Astrophysics and Planetology Research in Toulouse, France, told Space.com.

Related: Aurora colors: What causes them and why do they vary?

diagram showing the bepicolombo probe studying mercury's x-ray aurora

Observations by Mio/BepiColombo during its first Mercury flyby of electrons precipitating towards Mercury’s surface, in correlation with the anticipated locations of X-ray aurorae reported by NASA’s mission. (Image credit: Sae AIZAWA)

The magnetosphere of a planet often acts as a barrier to solar wind flow, in the same way as a boulder in a stream serves as an obstacle to flowing water. However, previous research found that, depending on how Earth and Mercury are oriented with respect to the interplanetary magnetic field from the sun, the magnetospheres of both those planets regularly become open to the solar wind.

On Earth, the entry of the solar wind into the magnetosphere drives the motions of electrons and other electrically charged particles. At the poles, these electric currents flow into the planet’s atmosphere, race down Earth’s magnetic field lines and crash into molecules in the upper atmosphere, generating auroral light.

Previous research detected very high-energy electrons and X-rays from Mercury. However, those studies lacked the tools to monitor the relatively low-energy electrons that usually power auroras.

Now Aizawa and her colleagues have discovered evidence that auroras on Mercury have the same origins as they do on Earth. The results suggest that “these processes are a universal mechanism for aurora generation,” Aizawa said.

In the new study, the scientists analyzed data from the BepiColombo mission, a joint effort from the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency to study Mercury. Launched in 2018, BepiColombo made its first of six flybys of Mercury in 2021 and is planned to orbit Mercury starting in 2025, making it the first mission to another planet to consist of two satellites.

BepiColombo found that relatively low-energy electrons in Mercury’s magnetosphere can accelerate in the planet’s dawn areas and then get pumped into magnetic field lines on the world’s nightside. Since Mercury has an incredibly tenuous atmosphere compared to Earth’s, these electrons do not strike the air, but instead slam onto Mercury’s surface, generating X-ray auroras.

All in all, although the planets of the solar system differ in many respects from each other, such as the strength of their magnetic fields and the composition of their atmospheres, the way in which electrons can get accelerated at planets to generate auroras appears universal across these worlds, Aizawa said.

The scientists detailed their findings online today (July 18) in the journal Nature Communications.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!

Charles Q. Choi is a contributing writer for Space.com and Live Science. He covers all things human origins and astronomy as well as physics, animals and general science topics. Charles has a Master of Arts degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia, School of Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Florida. Charles has visited every continent on Earth, drinking rancid yak butter tea in Lhasa, snorkeling with sea lions in the Galapagos and even climbing an iceberg in Antarctica. Visit him at http://www.sciwriter.us

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : Space.com – https://www.space.com/auroras-similar-cause-throughout-solar-system-mercury-results

Tags: acrossAurorasscience
Previous Post

NASA’s Mars Sample Return in jeopardy after US Senate report

Next Post

‘Meteorite’ that struck French woman was just a regular rock, experts say

Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet – Living on Earth

Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet

August 23, 2025
Toyota Friday Night Rivals kicks off season with Elizabethton at Science Hill – WCYB

Toyota Friday Night Rivals Ignite the Season with Elizabethton vs. Science Hill Showdown

August 23, 2025
Star Trek as Refuge for the Science-Minded – The Provincetown Independent

How Star Trek Ignites Passion and Empowers the Science-Minded

August 23, 2025
Refresh your wardrobe at these 11 QTS award-winning fashion and lifestyle stores – Time Out Worldwide

Transform Your Look with These 11 Must-Visit Fashion and Lifestyle Stores

August 23, 2025
Alcorn State awarded grant to boost STEM with VR technology – WJTV

Alcorn State Secures Grant to Transform STEM Education Through Cutting-Edge VR Technology

August 23, 2025
Is Mastantuono in line for a start this Sunday? – Yahoo Sports

Is Mastantuono Set to Make His Starting Debut This Sunday?

August 23, 2025
‘Urgent action’ needed to protect workers from heat stress in warming world, UN says – Reuters

Urgent Action Needed to Shield Workers from Rising Heat Risks in a Warming World

August 22, 2025
The United States’ Biggest Vulnerability in the Trade War: Its Knowledge Economy – World Politics Review

The United States’ Greatest Weakness in the Trade War: Its Knowledge Economy

August 22, 2025
How to watch ‘F1: The Movie’ on Prime Video – About Amazon

Experience the Thrill: How to Stream ‘F1: The Movie’ on Prime Video

August 22, 2025
Willis Knighton Health in Louisiana joins Mayo Clinic Care Network – Mayo Clinic News Network

Willis Knighton Health Teams Up with Mayo Clinic Care Network to Elevate Patient Care in Louisiana

August 22, 2025

Categories

Archives

August 2025
MTWTFSS
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
« Jul    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (785)
  • Economy (805)
  • Entertainment (21,684)
  • General (16,619)
  • Health (9,845)
  • Lifestyle (818)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (807)
  • Politics (814)
  • Science (16,018)
  • Sports (21,304)
  • Technology (15,786)
  • World (786)

Recent News

Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet – Living on Earth

Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet

August 23, 2025
Toyota Friday Night Rivals kicks off season with Elizabethton at Science Hill – WCYB

Toyota Friday Night Rivals Ignite the Season with Elizabethton vs. Science Hill Showdown

August 23, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version