The first potential extrasolar
auroras detected occurred in the atmosphere of LSR J1835+3259. They were found in July 2015 by the
Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array in
New Mexico by analyzing the emitted radio waves. The potential auroras were probably 1 million times brighter than those ever observed on Earth. The optical emission is mainly red in colour, because the charged particles are interacting with hydrogen in its atmosphere. It is not known what the cause is. Some have speculated that material may be being stripped off the surface of the brown dwarf via stellar winds to produce its own electrons. Another possible explanation is an as-yet-undetected planet or moon around the dwarf, which is throwing off material to light it up, as is the case with
Jupiter and its moon
Io. High resolution imaging using the
High Sensitivity Array resolved the quiescent radio emission into two radio lobes, showing that it has a similar structure as
Jupiter radiation belts. The radiation belt is seen in three epochs, spanning more than one year. The two lobes are separated by up to 18 ultracool dwarf radii and the right-circularly polarized aurora appears right in the middle of the two lobes. ==References==