(Worthy Insights) – A powerful solar storm has delivered a dramatic blow to Jupiter’s magnetosphere, revealing that even the largest planet in our solar system isn’t immune to the Sun’s ferocity. As detailed in a new study published on April 3, 2025, in Geophysical Research Letters, researchers recorded a surge of heat in Jupiter’s upper atmosphere, rising to a staggering 500°C, after a stream of solar wind crushed the gas giant’s magnetic shield. The findings not only challenge assumptions about the resilience of gas giants but also offer a model for how similar events might affect Earth’s atmosphere and technology.
The event under investigation dates back to 2017, when a dense burst of solar wind hit Jupiter, causing a rapid compression of its magnetosphere—the massive magnetic bubble that normally shields the planet from charged particles. This marked the first time scientists have captured and analyzed such an atmospheric response on any outer planet.
By combining data from NASA’s Juno spacecraft, the Keck Observatory, and solar wind modeling, researchers were able to link the magnetospheric compression to a planet-wide heat anomaly. The storm created a superheated hotspot that extended across half of Jupiter’s circumference, elevating temperatures in the upper atmosphere from the usual 350°C to well over 500°C–a difference of 150 degrees. [ Source (Read More…) ]