Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to re: active geyser vs passive spot

re: active geyser vs passive spot
Michael Gmirkin — (archived)

I might also ask the seemingly naive question: "How do we produce x-rays on Earth?"

The relatively naive answer: "Well, with high-powered electricity, duh!"

Hmm, so we're getting x-rays produce around the polar regions of Saturn and Jupiter from massive auroras where we expect Birkeland currents to connect.

Is it POSSIBLE (just considering the possibility), that Birkeland currents feed and/or power the auroral vortexes and that electricity (like on Earth) powers the x-ray emissions?

If so, isn't is a rather simple leap to say that the same banding occurs on Mars in the same region (the poles) with the same causation? IE, Birkeland currents transfer charge in a banded strip around the pole where they interact with Mars' magnetic field (thus the aternate term "field-aligned currents")? If the Birkeland current preferentially energize in bands, and the spiders are preferentially formed in bands, is there a distinct parallel here? When we introduce the concept of Lichtenberg figure formation to the equation, don't things tend to snap into place?

The sun transfers charge via the birkeland currents, solar wind and coronal mass ejections. The charged particles interact with Mars' magnetic field via field-aligned currents (the Birkeland terella shows this occurs in very specific regions). The currents occur in preferentially defined banding patters, thus charge accumulates in the surface along very well-defined bands as electrons and other charged nuclei are accelerated by the electric field of the Birkeland currents. Thus, Lichtenberg figures (which we know are created by catastrophic electrical discharges http://205.243.100.155/frames/lichtenbergs.html ) only occur in well-defined bands of charged surface strata as well. Thus we get "spidering" or "Lichtenberg-ing" only on those preferentially charged bands created where the Birkeland currents interact with the planet's magnetic field and accelerate the charged nuclei and electrons into the surface giving it massive charge, which nees to dissipate (thusly scarring the surface and probably subsurface as well, as dielectric breakdown occurs and electrons find conductive paths through which to escape; I have little doubt we'll find Lichtenberg fulgurites in the ground and probably "blueberries" in the area as well).

Game, set, match.

Well, for your consideration anyway... *Wink*

Seriously, do some reading on Birkeland currents, and then read up on the Saturnian and Jovian auroras, Venus double-eyed vortexes on both poles, and Uranus "bright clouds." You'll see what I'm talking about. Vaguely recall IO and Enceladus have hot spots at the poles too, probably with x-ray characterization consistent with electrical discharges...

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