On February 7, scientists announced the discovery of a hitherto unknown process that produces auroras at Saturn's chaotic South Pole, which was previously thought to be due to solar activity. 

Pioneer 11 was the first spacecraft to observe traces of this atmospheric activity 42 years ago, when it sped past the gas giant. In the early 1980s, the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft offered a precise description of Saturn's magnetic shell, also known as its strong magnetosphere.

Similarly to our planet's magnetosphere, Saturn's magnetosphere comes into direct touch with the solar wind, resulting in the development of auroras. The difference between our planet and Saturn is that its magnetosphere is not the only source of this phenomena. According to research conducted by scientists at the University of Leicester, Saturn is unique in that a portion of its aurora is created by winds within the planet's atmosphere.

It has been reported in Geophysical Research Letters that a complete description of Saturn's wind-powered auroras has been published. The observations made by the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii served as the basis for the scientists' scientific work. It has been noticed that all of the other planets we have observed, including the Earth, have auroras that are caused by tremendous currents that pass from the magnetosphere to the planetary atmosphere.

According to scientists, the interaction with charged particles from the Sun (Earth) or volcanic material ejected by the moons of the planets (Jupiter and Saturn) causes them to be activated.

"As a result of this discovery, the scientific definition of planetary auroras has been altered, and one of the first issues presented by observations made by the Cassini mission, which arrived at Saturn in 2004, has been answered. We now understand why we are unable to accurately determine the length of this gas giant's day."

Cassini attempted to determine the length of Saturn's day when he first arrived on the planet by studying the emission of radio waves from Saturn's atmosphere. While in space, Voyager 2 observed unexplained pulses, the results of which left the scientists buried in the planet's atmosphere. It came as a complete surprise to everyone when the rhythm of these outbursts shifted, raising the question of whether or not this gigantic gas giant is capable of changing its rotation speed.

In a study published by the University of Leicester's Nahid Chowdhury, the author claims that Saturn's internal rotational speed is constant, indicating that something unusual and bizarre is taking place inside the planet's atmosphere. The answer to this puzzle is largely a matter of speculation to this day, but this study represents the first discovery of a fundamental driver - occurrences occurring in the high atmosphere - which is still under investigation.

Chowdhury's research demonstrates that winds at high altitudes have an impact on radio pulse readings and the position of Saturn's aruror.

In his words, "It is an absolutely fantastic feeling to be able to provide an explanation to some of the longest-running questions in our area," he says.