Preliminary JIRAM results from Juno polar observations: 2. Analysis of the Jupiter southern H3+ emissions and comparison with the north aurora

Abstract

The Jupiter InfraRed Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) aboard Juno observed the Jovian South Pole aurora during the first orbit of the mission. H3+ (trihydrogen cation) and CH4 (methane) emissions have been identified and measured. The observations have been carried out in nadir and slant viewing both by a L-filtered imager and a 2–5 μm spectrometer. Results from the spectral analysis of the all observations taken over the South Pole by the instrument are reported. The coverage of the southern aurora during these measurements has been partial, but sufficient to determine different regions of temperature and abundance of the H3+ ion from its emission lines in the 3–4 μm wavelength range. Finally, the results from the southern aurora are also compared with those from the northern ones from the data taken during the same perijove pass and reported by Dinelli et al. (2017).