Astronomers spot motifs of unexpected pearls and stars in the atmosphere of Saturn

Saturn is already at the top of the list of the coolest objects of our solar system, but a new discovery could put it on another level. Using the James Webb space telescope (JWST), astronomers have spotted strange and piercing models spreading in the planet’s atmosphere – follies never seen on any other planet in the solar system.

In a recent document of geophysical research letters, astrophysicists led by Tom Stallard of the University of Northumbria in the United Kingdom describe their investigations on the infrared emissions of Aurora and the High Atmosphere of Saturn. Unlike expectations, the team discovered “fine -scale schemes of pearls and stars which, although they are separated by enormous distances at altitude, can somehow be interconnected,” said Stallard in a press release.

The atmosphere of Saturn issues small signals which make it difficult for astronomers to study in detail, said Stellard. However, the relative clarity of newly discovered models could offer a very desensitized window on understanding the weather conditions of the giant planet, he said. For the moment, however, these “features were completely unexpected and, at present, are completely unexplained”.

Study the invisible

The study describes a continuous observation period of 10 hours from November from last year. Meanwhile, the team has zoned on H3 +, a form of positively loaded hydrogen. The molecule plays an essential role in chemical and physical reactions in the atmosphere of Saturn and is located in the detection range of the infrared spectrograph near JWST.

With this, the team simultaneously studied the ionosphere of Saturn and the stratosphere, two sections which have traditionally been difficult to study for scientists. Under the infrared spectrum, however, a different image emerged, that the team recorded in detail.

Saturn becomes artistic

The team noticed two odd models in different layers of the atmosphere of Saturn. In the ionosphere – filled with electric plasma – a series of dark characteristics and beads inlaid in shiny auroraux halos “, they explained. The stratosphere, on the other hand, displayed a motif of the unbalanced star type extending from the North Pole of Saturn to the equator. A more in -depth analysis revealed that the models were in fact on the same region atmosphere levels.

“We believe that dark pearls can result from complex interactions between the magnetosphere of Saturn and its rotary atmosphere, potentially offering new perspectives on the exchange of energy which leads to Aurora de Saturn,” said Stellard. “The asymmetrical star model suggests unknown atmospheric processes operating in Saturn Stratosphere, perhaps linked to the hexagonal storm model observed deeper in the atmosphere of Saturn.”

That said, the team is not yet sure if it is a unique event or a regular meteorological event for the planet. It will be something they will have to confirm with future observations, they said. If this happens, our new understanding of the ionosphere of Saturn can even inform the way in which we perceive the “complex whirlwind of the earth’s therosphere”, said the researchers in the document.

This is the ideal moment to do so, added Stellard, because Saturn is at its equinox – when the sun appears directly above the equator of the planet – a rare event which occurs every 15 years of earth. The unusual arrangement of these stellar entities can reveal certain unexpected atmospheric events, according to the document.

“Since no atmospheric layer can be observed using the ground telescopes, the need for JWST monitoring observations during this key period of seasonal change on Saturn is pressed,” added Stallard.