When solar storms pounded Earth during Halloween in 2003, scientists were eager to measure their effects. But new research shows one satellite was seeing "ghost" particles that probably weren't real.
Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
Posted inResearch Spotlights
New Clues to Mysterious Hiss in Earth's Plasmasphere
An analysis of the electromagnetic "hiss" that surrounds Earth reveals it's not just static; there's a signal hidden within, which may help scientists uncover its source.
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"Fingers" of Plasma Invade Saturn's Magnetic Field
NASA's Cassini probe observed vast amounts of plasma on the fringes of Saturn's magnetic field being mysteriously injected hundreds of thousands of kilometers inward.
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How Powerful Is Jupiter's Aurora?
Scientists have mapped Jupiter's spectacular aurora in unprecedented detail with the Hubble Space Telescope.
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Lightning "Impulses" Improve Models of Global Electrical Circuit
New simulations of how thunderstorms drive electrical currents through the Earth's atmosphere combine precision with computational speed.
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Gaseous Planets May Have Huge Luminous Rings Caused by Lightning
What business do elves have in the upper atmospheres of gas giants? Plenty, it seems. The enormous ring-shaped phenomena triggered by lightning may occur on Jupiter, Saturn, and exoplanets.
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X Marks the Spot of Magnetic Islands in Space
At the edge of Earth's magnetic field, satellites have found X-shaped fields and fast-moving "islands" of magnetism that could shed light on the physics of solar storms.
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New Ionosphere Model Incorporates Solar Angles
The decades-old theory of the layers of the Earth's ionosphere, which dates to 1931, has just received an update that takes into account the angle of the Sun.
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Particle Accelerator in Space Could Help Scientists Study Auroras
Researchers could launch an electron beam device into space to study the Earth's magnetic field and trigger artificial auroras and lightning.
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Shooting Stars and Cosmic Dust Help Form Clouds, Fertilize Plankton
Tons of cosmic dust enter Earth’s atmosphere each day, triggering a range of phenomena that scientists are only just beginning to understand.