'Extraordinary' waves from Jupiter's moon Ganymede spotted
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Scientists have observed “extraordinary” waves coming out of Jupiter’s moon Ganymede.
The electromagnetic waves, also known as “chorus waves,” were spotted using the Galileo Probe spacecraft, which has a mission of surveying Jupiter’s wave environment.
“It's a really surprising and puzzling observation showing that a moon with a magnetic field can create such a tremendous intensification in the power of waves,” Yuri Shprits, the lead author of the study, told the Independent.
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The British publication reports that the waves seem to be partly caused by Jupiter’s intense magnetic field, which is the solar system’s strongest.
One of Jupiter's moons, Ganymede, is seen above. (NOAA)
Jupiter’s moon Ganymede has long fascinated astronomers—as it is the largest of the planet’s moons, even larger than the planet Mercury, and is believed to have an interior ocean.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Chorus waves have been detected in space around the Earth but they are nowhere near as strong as the waves at Jupiter," Richard Horne of British Antarctic Survey, a co-author on the study, told the Independent.
Ganymede has long fascinated astronomers—as it is the largest of Jupiter's many moons, even larger than the planet Mercury, and is believed to have an interior ocean.
“Even if a small portion of these waves escapes the immediate vicinity of Ganymede, they will be capable of accelerating particles to very high energies and ultimately producing very fast electrons inside Jupiter's magnetic field,” Horne added.