The outer layer of Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune and Uranus, are hot just like the Earth’s likely due to electric current at the planets’ poles, according to a study, which is the most complete mapping yet of both temperature and density of a gas giant’s upper atmosphere.
Researchers, including those from the University of Arizona in the US, used data from the Cassini spacecraft which observed Saturn for more than 13 years before exhausting its fuel supply, and found that electric currents in the upper layers of these planets could be making them very hot.
According to the study, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, these electric currents, triggered by interactions between solar winds and charged particles from Saturn’s moons, spark the auroras and heat the upper atmosphere.
It said the phenomenon is similar to the Earth’s northern lights, or auroras, indicating that the process can shed light on what’s going on in the atmosphere of other planets.
“Understanding the dynamics really requires a global view. This dataset is the first time we have been able to look at the upper atmosphere from pole to pole while also seeing how temperature changes with depth,” said Zarah Brown, lead author of the study from the University of Arizona.
Measuring the density of Saturn’s atmosphere using data from the Cassini mission gave the scientists the information they needed to find the temperatures, the study noted.
The scientists said the density decreased with altitude, with the rate of decrease depending on temperature. They found that temperatures peak near the auroras, indicating that the electric currents near the poles heat the upper atmosphere.
