Dynamic auroral storms on Saturn as observed by the Hubble Space Telescope

J D Nichols; S V Badman; K H Baines; R H Brown; E J Bunce; J T Clarke; S W H Cowley; F J Crary; M K Dougherty; J-C Gérard; A Grocott; D Grodent; W S Kurth; H Melin; D G Mitchell; W R Pryor; T S Stallard

doi:10.1002/2014GL060186

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Dynamic auroral storms on Saturn as observed by the Hubble Space Telescope

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Dynamic auroral storms on Saturn as observed by the Hubble Space Telescope

J D Nichols, S V Badman, K H Baines, R H Brown, E J Bunce, J T Clarke, S W H Cowley, F J Crary, M K Dougherty, J-C Gérard, …

Geophysical research letters, Vol.41(10), pp.3323-3330

05/28/2014

DOI: 10.1002/2014GL060186

PMCID: PMC4459195

PMID: 26074636

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Abstract

We present observations of significant dynamics within two UV auroral storms observed on Saturn using the Hubble Space Telescope in April/May 2013. Specifically, we discuss bursts of auroral emission observed at the poleward boundary of a solar wind-induced auroral storm, propagating at ∼330% rigid corotation from near ∼01 h LT toward ∼08 h LT. We suggest that these are indicative of ongoing, bursty reconnection of lobe flux in the magnetotail, providing strong evidence that Saturn's auroral storms are caused by large-scale flux closure. We also discuss the later evolution of a similar storm and show that the emission maps to the trailing region of an energetic neutral atom enhancement. We thus identify the auroral form with the upward field-aligned continuity currents flowing into the associated partial ring current.

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Title: Subtitle: Dynamic auroral storms on Saturn as observed by the Hubble Space Telescope
Creators: J D Nichols - University of Leicester
S V Badman - Lancaster University
K H Baines - University of Wisconsin–Madison
R H Brown - University of Arizona
E J Bunce - University of Leicester
J T Clarke - Boston University
S W H Cowley - University of Leicester
F J Crary - Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
M K Dougherty - Imperial College London
J-C Gérard - University of Liège
A Grocott - University of Leicester
D Grodent - University of Liège
W S Kurth - University of Iowa
H Melin - University of Leicester
D G Mitchell - Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
W R Pryor - Central Arizona College
T S Stallard - University of Leicester
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Geophysical research letters, Vol.41(10), pp.3323-3330
DOI: 10.1002/2014GL060186
PMID: 26074636
PMCID: PMC4459195
NLM abbreviation: Geophys Res Lett
ISSN: 0094-8276
eISSN: 1944-8007
Publisher: BlackWell Publishing Ltd
Grant note: name: NERC, award: NE/G019665/1; DOI: 10.13039/501100000271, name: STFC, award: ST/K001000/1; DOI: 10.13039/100000104, name: NASA, award: HST-GO-10862.01-A
Language: English
Date published: 05/28/2014
Academic Unit: Physics and Astronomy
Record Identifier: 9984455275402771

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