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Earth-sized aurora on Jupiter

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July 3, 2016

View larger. | Aurora on Jupiter. Image via NASA, ESA, and J. Nichols (University of Leicester)

NASA released this stunning image of a Jupiter aurora on July 1, 2016, just days before the Juno spacecraft arrives at Jupiter after a 5-year voyage. The Hubble Space Telescope acquired the imagery back on May 19, as part of a program to study how the solar wind affects auroras on Jupiter. NASA said:

While Hubble is observing and measuring the auroras on Jupiter, Juno [has been] measuring the properties of the solar wind itself; a perfect collaboration between a telescope and a space probe.

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July 3, 2016

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Deborah Byrd

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Deborah Byrd (asteroid 3505 Byrd) helps edit EarthSky.org and is a frequent host of EarthSky videos. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named in her honor in 1990, a Public Service Award from the National Science Board in 2003, and the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 2020. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.