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.
solar wind
Posted inEditors' Vox
Hidden Atmospheric Particles Sculpt Near-Earth Space Environment
Charged particles escape our atmosphere following Earth’s magnetic field and constitute a main source of matter that modulates Sun-Earth interactions.
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.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Solar Properties Rival for Control of Mars’s Bow Shock
While most planetary bow shocks are controlled by the solar wind, at Mars the solar EUV flux is equally important.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Understanding the Turbulent Nature of the Solar Wind
Sometimes the conditions in the solar wind can change dramatically over short distances. Satellite observations of these features show that they’re more complex than previously thought.
Posted inNews
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
How Space Storms Affect the Satellite Superhighway
A powerful numerical model reveals how space weather disturbs magnetic field at geosynchronous orbit.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Evidence That Earth’s Forehead Controls the Wagging of its Tail
Yes, Earth has a tail, a magnetotail, and there is debate about how much Earth’s upper atmosphere plays a role in the controlling the dynamics of this region of space.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Fast CMEs Continue to Decelerate in the Outer Heliosphere
Most fast coronal mass ejections will be decelerated into ambient solar wind quickly in the inner heliosphere, but some of them continue the deceleration with an even larger amplitude beyond 1 AU.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Where the Solar Wind Meets Mars
A comprehensive look at how the solar wind is diverted around Mars, including the relative strength of the three biggest forces at work in this region.