A new study uses identical tests to evaluate the accuracy and performance of current models of Earth's magnetic field, then extrapolates the results to anticipated "petascale" supercomputers.
magnetic fields & magnetism
Posted inResearch Spotlights
What Causes the Strange Pulses in Saturn's Magnetosphere?
A new model shows that a spiral wave may explain why many phenomena in the gas giant's magnetosphere undergo periodic cycles.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Are Earthquakes Predictable?
Researchers have been searching for precursory warning signals for decades with little success.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Sun's Magnetic Fields Best at Forecasting Solar Cycle Peaks
Models based on the Sun's polar magnetic fields performed best in simulating the solar cycle and predicting solar behavior.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Magnetic Field Pulsations and Aurora Tightly Linked
Mysterious plasma waves from space are generating displays of aurora near Earth's poles.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Can Meteorite Impacts Disturb a Planet's Magnetic Field?
Such disturbances probably do not occur on our own planet, but evidence for them might still exist elsewhere in the solar system.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Cassini Observes First Evidence of Saturn's Ionospheric Outflow
Evidence shows the ionosphere may contribute as much mass as the moon Enceladus.
Posted inNews
James Wynne Dungey (1923–2015)
Dungey, whose research laid the foundation for how the Sun's magnetic field connects to Earth's magnetic field, died on 9 May 2015. He was 92.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Satellites Test Theory of Magnetic Reconnection
A quartet of satellites flying through Earth's magnetic field measures its interaction with the Sun's and puts a theory about their reconnection to the test.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Sun's Magnetic Field Impacts Earth's Thunderstorms
Lightning strikes are more frequent when Earth encounters a polarity switch in the solar magnetic field.