Energetic electrons are accelerated directly by magnetic reconnections and can act as tracers of large-scale magnetic field conditions.
Magnetic reconnection
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Deciphering Electron Signatures in Earth’s Magnetic Tail
A new analysis of spacecraft data collected near the tip of Earth’s magnetotail sheds light on how geomagnetic activity affects the motion of electrons in this region.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Can Moderate Space Weather Have Major Impacts?
Pipeline corrosion is an example of why we need better awareness of how long-term exposure to moderate space weather may have significant economic impact by slowly degrading vulnerable systems.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Measuring the Magnetic Reconnection Rate in the Magnetotail
Both simulations and observations are used to measure the magnetic reconnection rate in the Earth’s magnetotail, suggesting that the rate is correlated with the intensity of a magnetic substorm.
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John T. “Jack” Gosling (1938–2018)
This prolific researcher helped us understand the interactions of the solar wind and coronal mass ejections with Earth’s magnetic field.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Angles of Plasma Ropes near Mars Point to Different Origins
Variation in the orientation of flux rope features in Mars’s magnetotail suggests that some of them form on the planet’s Sun-facing side and travel to the night side.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
New Explanation for “Meandering” Electrons Orbiting Earth
A new study proposes a simpler theory to explain a class of electrons zipping around Earth, propelled by magnetic explosions.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Plasma Waves Pinpointed at the Site of Magnetic Reconnection
When the Earth's and the Sun's magnetic fields meet, they realign in explosive and mysterious reconnections. Data suggest that plasma waves called kinetic Alfvén waves play a key role.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Electrons Thrown Off Course in Near-Earth Magnetic Reconnection
NASA Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission detects energy differences in electrons scattered by magnetic reconnection.
Posted inScience Updates
Exploring New Knowledge on Magnetospheric Interactions
AGU Chapman Conference on Magnetospheric Dynamics; Fairbanks, Alaska, 27 September to 2 October 2015