Earth’s auroras, also known as the Northern and Southern Lights, appear as shimmering curtains visible to observers on the ground and even astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Auroras occur when energetic particles from the Sun are funneled by our magnetic field and slam into the atmosphere near Earth’s poles.

The planet Jupiter experiences auroras on a much grander scale – both larger and hundreds of times brighter than Earth’s. Astronomers turned Webb’s keen gaze to Jupiter and found that its auroras “pop” and “fizz,” changing on timescales of minutes or even seconds.

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