EXTREME ULTRAVIOLET OBSERVATIONS FROM VOYAGER-2 ENCOUNTER WITH JUPITER

Extreme ultraviolet spectral observations of the Jovian planetary system made during the Voyager 2 encounter have extended our knowledge of many of the phenomena and physical processes discovered by the Voyager 1 ultraviolet spectrometer. In the 4 months between encounters, the radiation from Io's plasma torus has increased in intensity by a factor of about 2. This change was accompanied by a decrease in plasma temperature of about 30 percent. The high-latitude auroral zones have been positively associated with the magnetic projection of the plasma torus onto the planet. Emission in molecular hydrogen bands has been detected from the equatorial regions of Jupiter, indicating planetwide electron precipitation. Hydrogen Lyman at from the dark side of the planet has been measured at an intensity of about 1 kilorayleigh. An observation of the occultation of α Leonis by Jupiter was carried out successfully and the data are being analyzed in detail. Copyright © 1979 AAAS.