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Scale and Compass Image for Jupiter Aurora

Image titled “Jupiter Aurora, HST STIS + WFC3/UVIS” with scale bar and color key.

About the Object

  • Distance
    DistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
    The semi-major axis of Jupiter's orbit about the sun is 5.2 astronomical units (483 million miles or 778 million kilometers).
  • Dimensions
    DimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.
    The planet has a diameter of roughly 88,789 miles (142,984 kilometers) at the equator.

About the Data

  • Data Description
    Data DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
    Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.
    The data are from the following HST proposals: 2014 WFC3/UVIS Data: 13631 PI: A. Simon (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center), G. Orton (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory), J. Rogers (University of Cambridge, UK), and M. Wong and I. de Pater (University of California, Berkeley) 2016 STIS Data: 14105 PI: J. Nichols (University of Leicester), J. Clarke (Boston University), G. Orton (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), S. Cowley, E. Bunce, and T. Stallard (University of Leicester), S. Badman (Lancaster University), D. Grodent, B. Bonfond, and A. Radioti (Universite de Liege), R. Gladstone (Southwest Research Institute), F. Bagenal (University of Colorado, Boulder), J. Connerney (NASA/GSFC), D. McComas (Princeton University), B. Mauk (JHU/APL), W. Kurth (University of Iowa), I. Yoshikawa (University of Tokyo), M. Fujimoto (ISAS, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), C. Tao (NICT, Japan), and T. Kimura (ISAS, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency).
  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    HST>WFC3/UVIS, HST>STIS/FUV-MAMA
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    April 21, 2014 (WFC3/UVIS), May 19, 2016 and June 2, 2016 (STIS)
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    WFC3/UVIS: F395N (395 nm), F502N (502 nm), and F631N (631 nm) STIS/FUV-MAMA F25SRF2 (145nm)
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    Jupiter, Jupiter Aurora
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Planet
  • Release Date
    June 30, 2016
  • Science Release
    Hubble Captures Vivid Auroras in Jupiter’s Atmosphere
    Read the release
  • Credits
    NASA, ESA, and L. Frattare (STScI); Acknowledgment: NASA, ESA, J. Nichols (University of Leicester), and A. Simon (NASA/GSFC)

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Image titled “Jupiter Aurora, HST STIS + WFC3/UVIS” with scale bar and color key.
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

This image is a composite of separate exposures acquired by the STIS and WFC3/UVIS instruments. Several filters were used to sample various wavelengths. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are: Blue: STIS CCD Blue: WFC3/UVIS F395N (395 nm) Green: WFC3/UVIS F502N (502 nm) Red: WFC3/UVIS F631N (631 nm)

Compass and Scale
Compass and ScaleAn astronomical image with a scale that shows how large an object is on the sky, a compass that shows how the object is oriented on the sky, and the filters with which the image was made.

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Last Updated
Feb 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

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