In a new study published recently in Nature Physics, researchers at Shandong University in China and the National Center for Atmospheric Research in the U.S. provided new insight into the effects of solar flares on the Earth's magnetosphere. The scientists…
New research has revealed an unknown mechanism of the magnetosphere– electrons from the Sun are propelled by electrical energy higher than previously thought, ultimately creating displays of northern and southern lights or auroras. The formation of auroras starts…
A rhythmic pattern sounding like a low-frequency musical note was detected from the magnetosphere over Lofoten, Norway, on Monday, January 18, 2021. The rare event, which is also called a pulsation continuous, is a strictly regional phenomenon, according to…
ESA's Cluster mission, launched in June 2000, was designed to study the Earth's magnetosphere, which protects the planet from impacts by cosmic particles but also interacts with them, generating spectacular phenomena like auroras. As the mission enters its…
Scientists have obtained in situ measurements of Earth's magnetosphere, demonstrating a phenomenon that's long been thought to happen but not yet directly been shown: energy is transferred from hydrogen ions to plasma waves, and then from the waves to helium…
Researchers using NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale mission (MMS) discovered tornado-like swirls of plasma create a magnetosphere tumultuous enough to let harmful high-energy particles from the Sun slip into near-Earth space. The discovery is important for…
The first set of high-resolution results from ESA’s three-satellite Swarm constellation reveals the most recent changes in the magnetic field that protects us from cosmic radiation and charged particles that bombard Earth. Magnetic field is in a permanent…
ESA’s three-satellite "Swarm" constellation was launched into a near-polar orbit by a Russian Rockot launcher on November 22, 2013. In next four years, Swarm satellites will monitor Earth’s magnetic field, from the depth of our
There is still only a handful of spacecraft to watch for solar and magnetic storms but the number of observatories has been growing over the last six years. Today, these spacecraft have begun to provide the first multipoint measurements to better understand space
ESA’s quartet of satellites studying Earth’s magnetosphere, Cluster, has discovered that our protective magnetic bubble lets the solar wind in under a wider range of conditions than previously believed.Earth’s magnetic field is our planet’s first line of
