Home
Science
Science News
James Webb Telescope Captures Rare Infrared Footprints of Io and Ganymede Inside Jupiter’s Auroras

James Webb Telescope Captures Rare Infrared Footprints of Io and Ganymede Inside Jupiter’s Auroras

The findings suggest that the gas giant's atmosphere reacts instantly to activity involving its orbiting moons.

Written by Gadgets 360 Staff | Updated: 11 March 2026 20:56 IST

James Webb Telescope Captures Rare Infrared Footprints of Io and Ganymede Inside Jupiter’s Auroras

Photo Credit: NASA

Recent research has given evidence that Jupiter was twice its current size in the past

Click Here to Add Gadgets360 As A Trusted Source

Highlights

Jupiter’s moons create visible footprints inside its powerful auroras
JWST detects sudden cold spots within Jupiter’s glowing auroral regions
Io’s volcanic particles intensify magnetic interactions near Jupiter

Jupiter produces the strongest auroras in the solar system. These features glow brightly around its poles as energetic particles crash into the giant planet's atmosphere. New observations have now revealed that Jupiter's moons can disturb this glowing display in unexpected ways. Scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have identified unusual "cold footprints" forming inside the auroras. This effect is caused by the interaction between the moons and Jupiter's immense magnetic field.

The findings suggest that the gas giant's atmosphere reacts instantly to activity involving its orbiting moons. Such interactions produce rapidly changing patterns of temperature and charged particle density.

Jupiter's Moons Drive Powerful Auroral Footprints Through Magnetic Interactions

According to researchers at Northumbria University, scientists evaluating data from the James Webb Space Telescope have observed that Jupiter's four largest moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, significantly influence the planet's magnetic environment. As these moons interact with Jupiter's magnetic field, they funnel charged particles into the atmosphere, creating glowing auroral footprints directly linked to their orbital positions.

Io, the most volcanically active body in the solar system, emits vast quantities of charged particles that form the Io plasma torus around Jupiter. As the Galilean moons pass through this torus and the planet's magnetic field, ions are driven into the atmosphere, further strengthening the auroras.

Webb Observations Reveal Sudden Cold Spot and Rapid Particle Surges in Jupiter's Auroras

While analysing five images from September 2023, scientists spotted a cold region beneath Io's auroral footprint. Temperatures dropped to 509°F, while ion density surged, reaching nearly 45 times higher than nearby auroral regions.

Researchers found that the temperature and particle density within Io's auroral footprint changed within minutes. This indicates the presence of unstable, energetic electrons along Jupiter's magnetic field lines and demonstrates that the planet's atmosphere responds strongly to surrounding space activity.

While Earth's moon does not affect our auroras, Saturn's moon Enceladus likely does. Studying such interactions helps scientists understand the profound ways in which giant planets and their moons influence each other.

Comments

Get your daily dose of tech news, reviews, and insights, in under 80 characters on Gadgets 360 Turbo. Connect with fellow tech lovers on our Forum. Follow us on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News for instant updates. Catch all the action on our YouTube channel.