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GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS,
VOL. 36,
L24102,
5 PP., 2009
doi:10.1029/2009GL041491
Saturn's equinoctial auroras
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
Center for Space Physics, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
Division of Space Science and Engineering, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA
Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, London, UK
Laboratoire de Physique Atmosphérique et Planétaire, Université de Liège, Liège, Belgium
Laboratoire de Physique Atmosphérique et Planétaire, Université de Liège, Liège, Belgium
Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, USA
Science Department, Central Arizona College, Coolidge, Arizona, USA
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
Center for Space Physics, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
We present the first images of Saturn's conjugate equinoctial auroras, obtained in early 2009 using the Hubble Space Telescope. We show that the radius of the northern auroral oval is ∼1.5° smaller than the southern, indicating that Saturn's polar ionospheric magnetic field, measured for the first time in the ionosphere, is ∼17% larger in the north than the south. Despite this, the total emitted UV power is on average ∼17% larger in the north than the south, suggesting that field-aligned currents (FACs) are responsible for the emission. Finally, we show that individual auroral features can exhibit distinct hemispheric asymmetries. These observations will provide important context for Cassini observations as Saturn moves from southern to northern summer.
Received 23 October 2009; accepted 24 November 2009; published 23 December 2009.
Citation: (2009), Saturn's equinoctial auroras, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L24102, doi:10.1029/2009GL041491.
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