Saturn's dynamic aurorae 1 (Jan 24, 2004)

Esahubble_heic0504b_1024

esahubble_heic0504b February 16th, 2005

Credit: NASA, ESA, J. Clarke (Boston University, USA), and Z. Levay (STScI)

This is a single image from a sequence of three aurora images. Astronomers combined ultraviolet images of Saturn's southern polar region with visible-light images of the planet and its rings to make this picture. The auroral display appears blue because of the glow of ultraviolet light. In reality, the aurora would appear red to an observer at Saturn because of the presence of glowing hydrogen in the atmosphere. On Earth, charged particles from the Sun collide with nitrogen and oxygen in the upper atmosphere, creating auroral displays colored mostly green and blue. The ultraviolet image was taken on Jan. 24, 2004 by Hubble's Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph. Erich Karkoschka of the University of Arizona, USA used the telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys on March 22, 2004 to take the visible-light image.

Provider: Hubble Space Telescope | ESA

Image Source: https://www.spacetelescope.org/images/heic0504b/

Curator: ESA/Hubble, Garching bei München, Germany

Image Use Policy: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

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Image Details

Image Type
Observation
Object Name
Saturn
Subject - Solar System
Planet > Type > Gas Giant
Planet > Feature > Atmosphere > Aurora

Color Mapping

  Telescope Spectral Band Wavelength
Red Hubble (ACS) Optical (H-alpha) -
Green Hubble (ACS) Optical (V) -
Blue Hubble (ACS) Optical (Oiii) -
Blue Hubble (ACS) Optical (B) -
Blue Hubble (STIS ) Ultraviolet -
Esahubble_heic0504b_1280
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ID
heic0504b
Subject Category
A.1.1.2   A.1.2.2.4  
Subject Name
Saturn
Credits
NASA, ESA, J. Clarke (Boston University, USA), and Z. Levay (STScI)
Release Date
2005-02-16T20:00:00
Lightyears
Redshift
Reference Url
https://www.spacetelescope.org/images/heic0504b/
Type
Observation
Image Quality
Distance Notes
Facility
Hubble Space Telescope, Hubble Space Telescope, Hubble Space Telescope, Hubble Space Telescope, Hubble Space Telescope
Instrument
ACS, ACS, ACS, ACS, STIS
Color Assignment
Red, Green, Blue, Blue, Blue
Band
Optical, Optical, Optical, Optical, Ultraviolet
Bandpass
H-alpha, V, Oiii, B, -
Central Wavelength
Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID
Notes
Coordinate Frame
Equinox
Reference Value
Reference Dimension
Reference Pixel
Scale
Rotation
Coordinate System Projection:
Quality
FITS Header
Notes
Creator (Curator)
ESA/Hubble
URL
http://www.spacetelescope.org/
Name
Email
Telephone
Address
Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2
City
Garching bei München
State/Province
Postal Code
D-85748
Country
Germany
Rights
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Publisher
ESA/Hubble
Publisher ID
esahubble
Resource ID
heic0504b
Metadata Date
2005-02-16T16:54:12+01:00
Metadata Version
1.1
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Detailed color mapping information coming soon...

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