Juno finds near light speed electrons at Jupiter confirming theory
NASA's Juno spacecraft just spotted electrons racing close to light speed around Jupiter. This confirms a long-standing theory about how high-energy particles, like cosmic rays, get their boost.
Why does it matter? Cosmic rays, which are also made in wild space events like supernovas, can actually mess with things on Earth, including satellites and power grids.
Nature study suggests universal particle acceleration
Juno picked up these speedy electrons in Jupiter's foreshock region. Interestingly, these particles move even faster than similar ones near Earth because Jupiter's much larger bow shock...
The findings suggest this particle-boosting process happens not just at Jupiter but all over the universe—including places where stars explode.
The research was published in Nature, adding a new piece to our understanding of space physics.