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Does Jupiter’s “Great Blue Spot” Produce an Aurora?

-- Gene | February 11, 2025

Artist conception of an aurora over the polar region of a brown dwarf.

Question:

This may be outside your line, but does Jupiter’s blue spot (magnetic anomaly on the equator) exhibit an aurora borealis? I’m a science fiction writer and want to get this right.

Thanking you in advance,
Gene (author Where Madmen Rule).

-- Gene

Answer:

I have not been able to find any evidence of observed auroral phenomena associated with Jupiter’s “Great Blue Spot”. Note, though, that the study of this unusual feature in Jupiter’s atmosphere is still a very active area of research that will likely provide more clarity regarding the Great Blue Spot’s properties in the future.

-- Jeff Mangum

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