Though not as damaging as extreme space weather events, showers of plasma jets hit Earth’s magnetic shield every day—yet we’re only beginning to understand their effects.
plasmas
Posted inFeatures
Shake, Rattle, and Probe
Helioseismology allows scientists to study the interior of the Sun, solve some basic physics mysteries, and forecast space weather.
Posted inNews
A “Dam” in the Corona May Make the Solar Wind Gain Its Unusual Speeds
A new study supports the idea of a “helicity barrier” influencing the fluctuating stream of interplanetary plasma.
Posted inNews
Coronal Dimmings Shine Light on Stellar CMEs
Coronal mass ejections from stars have eluded easy observation, so scientists are looking at what’s left behind.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
First Solar Wind Plasma Observations from the Tianwen-1 Mission
Solar wind plasma data captured by the Tianwen-1 probe while in transit to Mars represent an important step toward a new era of cooperative Martian space exploration.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
The Auroral E-region is a Source for Ionospheric Scintillation
Observations reveal a connection between auroral particle precipitation and scintillation, indicating that the ionospheric E-region is a key source region for phase scintillation at auroral latitudes.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Satellite Data Reveal Magnetospause K-H Waves Impact Auroras
Analysis of multiple satellite data has revealed a striking connection between K-H waves on the magnetopause, surface waves in the hot zone near the plasmapause, and auroral undulations.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Spacecraft Reveal New Details of Magnetic Reconnection
Energetic electrons are accelerated directly by magnetic reconnections and can act as tracers of large-scale magnetic field conditions.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
A New Approach to Characterizing Space Plasmas
When plasma particle velocity distributions have multiple, distinct parts, treating each as a separate beam may yield more intuitive results.
Posted inEditors' Vox
New Results Concerning Solar Wind Entry into the Magnetosphere
A new book describes recent results defining the many pathways and foreshock, bow shock, magnetosheath, and magnetopause phenomena connecting the solar wind to the dayside magnetosphere.