A pulsating auroral X-ray hot spot on Jupiter (original) (raw)

Jupiter's Northern auroral X-rays predominantly emanate from a fixed 'hot spot' in the planet's outer magnetosphere, contradicting prior beliefs about their source being energetic ions from the inner magnetosphere. High-resolution observations from the Chandra X-ray Observatory reveal that this hot spot pulsates with a periodicity of approximately 45 minutes, aligning with other Jovian phenomena, and suggests localized, variable emission processes currently unexplained. The data collected during a 10-hour observation period also highlights strong auroral emissions correlated with far-ultraviolet images from Hubble, emphasizing the hot spot's position within the auroral oval.