Jupiter got body-slammed by the solar wind, and scientists have finally caught it in action.
A massive solar event compressed Jupiter’s protective magnetic field, causing a dramatic temperature spike across half the planet. Using data from telescopes and spacecraft, researchers saw how solar wind ripples through the giant’s atmosphere, suggesting Jupiter and other gas giants aren’t as shielded from the Sun’s wrath as once thought.
Jupiter’s Bubble Gets Smashed by Solar Wind
A powerful wave of solar wind that compressed Jupiter’s magnetic shield has been detected for the first time.
Researchers at the University of Reading identified a solar wind event from 2017 that struck Jupiter and temporarily compressed its magnetosphere, the giant magnetic bubble that surrounds and protects the planet. This impact created an unusually hot region in the upper atmosphere, stretching across half of Jupiter’s circumference and reaching temperatures above 500°C (932°F). That’s significantly hotter than the planet’s typical atmospheric temperature of around 350°C (662°F).
According to a new study published today (April 3) in Geophysical Research Letters, this type of solar burst appears to hit Jupiter regularly, around two to three times per month.
“We have never captured Jupiter’s response to solar wind before, and the way it changed the planet’s atmosphere was very unexpected,” said Dr. James O’Donoghue, lead author of the study. “This is the first time we’ve ever seen a thing like this on any outer world.”
Giant Planets Are Not So Tough After All
“The solar wind squished Jupiter’s magnetic shield like a giant squash ball. This created a super-hot region that spans half the planet. Jupiter’s diameter is 11 times larger than Earth’s, meaning this heated region is enormous,” said O’Donoghue.
“We’ve studied Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus in increasing detail over the past decade. These giant planets are not as resistant to the Sun’s influence as we thought – they’re vulnerable, like Earth. Jupiter acts like a laboratory, allowing us to study how the Sun affects planets in general. By watching what happens there, we can better predict and understand the effects of solar storms which might disrupt GPS, communications, and power grids on Earth.”
Solar Storms Could Disrupt Even the Mightiest Planets
By combining ground-based observations from the Keck telescope with data from NASA’s Juno spacecraft and solar wind modeling, the researchers determined that a dense region of solar wind had compressed Jupiter’s enormous magnetosphere shortly before the observations began. This compression appears to have intensified auroral heating at Jupiter’s poles, causing the upper atmosphere to expand and spill hot gas toward the equator.
Scientists had previously thought Jupiter’s rapid rotation would confine auroral heating to its polar regions through strong winds. This discovery shows otherwise, suggesting planetary atmospheres throughout our solar system may be more vulnerable to solar influences than previously understood. Solar bursts could significantly alter big planets’ upper atmospheric dynamics, generating global winds that drive energy distribution across the planet.
Forecasting Space Weather from Jupiter to Earth
Professor Mathew Owens, a co-author from the University of Reading, said: “Our solar wind model correctly predicted when Jupiter’s atmosphere would be disturbed. This helps us further understand the accuracy of our forecasting systems, which is essential for protecting Earth from dangerous space weather.”
Reference: “Sub-Auroral Heating at Jupiter Following a Solar Wind Compression” by James O’Donoghue, L. Moore, H. Melin, T. Stallard, W. S. Kurth, M. Owens, T. Bhakyapaibul, C. Tao, J. E. P. Connerney, K. L. Knowles, H. Kita, K. Roberts, P. I. Tiranti, O. Agiwal, R. Johnson, R. Wang, E. Thomas and G. Murakami, 3 April 2025, Geophysical Research Letters.
DOI: 10.1029/2024GL113751
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