Human Control Of Earth's Radiation Belt Jun 6, 2008
These trapped particles can be deflected by certain electromagnetic waves (whistlers) into the Earth's dense atmosphere (below 100 kilometers (60 miles)), where they cannot escape back to the magnetosphere. Noting that whistlers can be generated by ground-based transmission signals in the very low frequency range (VLF, used for military communications), Sauvaud et al. use satellite observations to investigate how a VLF transmitter located in Australia (labeled NWC) affects the population of... (Science Daily)
How Plasma From Superstorms Affects Near-Earth Space Jun 1, 2008
ScienceDaily (May 31, 2008) NASA scientists have uncovered new details about how plasma from superstorms interact with Earth s magnetosphere ... The surprising result of this model is that the magnetosphere s main phase pressure is dominated by energetic protons from the plasmasphere, rather than from the solar wind, says Mei-Ching Fok, an astrophysicist at NASA s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md ... The plasma affects Earth and the vicinity surrounding Earth dominated by its... (Science Daily)
Earthquake prediction from space is more accurate May 25, 2008
Although its operation was hampered by malfunctions, it nevertheless quite successfully probed the Earth s underground lithosphere, atmosphere, ionosphere, and magnetosphere to learn how each terrestrial region is connected with a variety of events such as earthquakes, volcanoes, tropical cyclones, and tornadoes. Running out of time. (Hindu)
NASA presentations at American Geophysical Union Joint Assembly May 22, 2008
Violent activity on the sun can produce monster superstorms that release plasma into the solar wind that interacts with Earths magnetosphere. Presenters will discuss the details of their models finding that low-energy particles from the plasmasphere, a donut-shaped region of Earths magnetosphere, become energized and are the main influence on pressurizing the magnetosphere. (EurekAlert!)
Mission to Saturn extended to 2010 Apr 16, 2008
In addition to one flyby a piece for the moons Dione, and Helene, the extension also includes more planned peeks at Saturn, its mysterious rings and the gas giant's magnetosphere. Built to lastAside from a few instrument glitches, mission managers said the probe is in good shape. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Magnetic Substorms From Ground And Space Apr 6, 2008
18, 2007) Substorms in the Earth's magnetosphere turn the shimmering Northern and Southern lights into a dancing light show. A new NASA mission called THEMIS, designed and built by UC Berkeley scientists and. (Science Daily)
What's Up with Titan's Spin? Mar 22, 2008
What about planetary bodies that possess a magnetosphere (Titan has no intrinsic magnetosphere I dont know what effect its induced magnetosphere might have) that could indicate a less than solid core for a planetary body (again, not Titan) if that core rotates at less than or more than the rock crust how does that figure in defining the spin. Im guessing that the most likely answer to these questions is that the spin of a planetary body is described as the rate at which mass of the... (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Venus and Mars aren't such polar opposites Mar 18, 2008
Earth is spared from the brunt of solar radiation by its protective magnetosphere. "These results really highlight what a special place Earth is and how lucky we are to have an atmosphere protected by a magnetic field," Brain said. (USA Today -- Tech)
Saturn's Moon Might Have Rings, Too Mar 10, 2008
Since Rhea lies within Saturn's magnetosphere, which traps ions and electrons, scientists expected the moon to be awash in these particles. Instead, they measured a gap in electrons in a swath of space surrounding Rhea. (Space.com)
Saturn's Moon Rhea Also May Have Rings Mar 7, 2008
Other instruments' observations showed how the moon was interacting with Saturn's magnetosphere, and ruled out the possibility of an atmosphere. Evidence for a debris disk in addition to this tenuous dust cloud came from a gradual drop on either side of Rhea in the number of electrons detected by two of Cassini's instruments. (Science Daily)
Saturn moon may have its own ring, in a lunar first Mar 7, 2008
Other instruments showed its interactions with Saturn's magnetosphere and in so doing found it could not have an atmosphere, the NASA statement said. Rhea is roughly 950 miles (1,502 kilometers) in diameter. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
New Solar Cycle Could Spell Trouble For Farmers’ Cell Phones, GPS, More Feb 29, 2008
The solar wind energizes ions in the magnetosphere. These particles usually enter the Earth s upper atmosphere near the polar regions. (Agri-View, WI)
Key to fusion power may be found in space Feb 7, 2008
"The reconnection processes in the [Earth's] magnetosphere and in fusion devices are the same animal," said James Drake, a University of Maryland physicist. Space contains magnetic fields that direct the flow of plasma, an energetic fourth state of matter consisting of positive ions and electrons. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Probe exposes new Mercury mysteries Feb 5, 2008
Scientists suspect the magnetosphere might be caused by the equally strange pr 00001BF2 esence of an extremely dense iron core that accounts for two-thirds of Mercury's mass. The magnetosphere, in turn, seems to play a part in drawing a tenuous atmosphere onto the planet, unusual for a small globe whose gravity is not strong enough to retain an atmosphere on its own. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Probe shows never-seen-side of Mercury Feb 2, 2008
Mercury is the only planet in the solar system other than Earth to have a magnetosphere. Quirky Mercury is one of the bigger question marks in the solar system, probed not nearly as much as Mars, Jupiter, Venus or Saturn. (CNN -- Tech)
New Discovery On Magnetic Reconnection To Impact Future Space Missions Feb 1, 2008
On 14 January 2003, the four Cluster satellites were crossing the magnetosheath, a turbulent plasma region located just outside Earth s magnetosphere, when they encountered an electron diffusion region. The length of the observed region measured 3000 km, 300 times longer than the earlier theoretical expectations and four times longer than seen in recent simulations. (Science Daily)
NASA unveils images of Mercury overflight Jan 31, 2008
The expert said Mercury "was not the planet we were expecting," adding that investigators found it to be "a very dynamic planet," with active volcanos and magnetosphere. The Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry, and Ranging spacecraft flew by Mercury on January 14, at an altitude of 200 kilometers, sending back more than 1,200 up-close pictures and other scientific observations of unchartered terrain. (India Times)
Mercury's Magnetosphere Fends Off The Solar Wind Jan 31, 2008
U-M's Fast Imaging Plasma Spectrometer (FIPS) on Jan. 14 took the first direct measurements of Mercury's magnetosphere to determine how the planet interacts with the space environment and the Sun ... Earth's magnetosphere is strong enough to protect us from the solar wind's radiation, but Mercury's magnetic field is comparatively weaker ... It's possible that the magnetosphere shield has holes. (Science Daily)
Space oddity proves a hit with scientists Jan 31, 2008
Earth is the only other planet with such an active magnetosphere. The Washington Post, The New York Times. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Sun shield to let space crews boldly go to Mars Jan 30, 2008
Earth's magnetic field produces a magnetic shell called the magnetosphere which deflects charged particles in the solar wind. "We wouldn't have life on Earth if we were fully exposed to the radiation coming from the sun," she said. (Guardian Unlimited)
Europe's Mercury Mission Swings Into Action Jan 21, 2008
The second spacecraft, JAXA s Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO), will carry five instruments to study the planet s magnetosphere, the region of space around the planet that is dominated by its magnetic field. Professor George Fraser of the University of Leicester Space Research Centre is leading a research team from five countries to build the Mercury Imaging X-ray Spectrometer (MIXS) which will fly on the MPO craft. (Science Daily)
Mercury's Previously Unseen Side Revealed Jan 20, 2008
In addition to images of the previously unseen portion of the planet's surface, measurements were made that will contribute to the characterization of all aspects of Mercury and its environment, from its metallic core to the far reaches of its magnetosphere. "We have one excited Science Team, says MESSENGER Project Manager, Peter D. Bedini, of APL, "and their enthusiasm is contagious. (Science Daily)
Messenger primed for Mercury pass Jan 14, 2008
Lindstrom added: "[Messenger's] goal is to understand the surface, the interior, the magnetosphere and the atmosphere of this innermost planet; but in the process of doing that we hope to apply that [knowledge] to understand how all four of the terrestrial, Earth-like, planets formed.". Messenger is half-way through what will be a seven-year tour of the inner Solar System. (BBC News -- Science)
MESSENGER set for historic Mercury flyby Jan 13, 2008
The flyby is an opportunity to get a jump start on mapping the exosphere with ultraviolet observations and documenting the energetic particle and plasma population of Mercurys magnetosphere. In addition, the flyby trajectory enables measurements of the particle and plasma characteristics of Mercurys magnetotail, which will not be possible from Mercury orbit. (Hindu)
'Bully' black hole blasts galaxy Dec 20, 2007
If Earth were in the way -- and it's not -- the high-energy particles and radiation of the jet would in a matter of months strip away the planet's protective ozone layer and compress the protective magnetosphere, said Evans. That would then allow the sun and the jet itself to bombard the planet with high-energy particles. (CNN -- Tech)
DALE McFEATTERS: War of the galaxies Dec 19, 2007
The team leader, Dan Evans of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, explained to The Washington Post what would happen:"If a jet were to hit Earth, Evans said, it would destroy the ozone layer and collapse the magnetosphere that blankets the planet and protects it from harmful solar particles. Without the ozone layer and magnetosphere, he said, much of life on Earth would end."It could happen -- in about a billion years. Mark your calendar accordingly. (Fresno Bee -- Opinion)
Earth's Magnetosphere: On the Ropes Dec 15, 2007
Somehow ions and electrons from the solar wind leak into Earth's magnetosphere, collect "downwind" in the magnetotail, and then cascade Earthward in a torrent ... It had been thought that, when aligned just so, the solar magnetic field "handshakes" with Earth's along the magnetosphere's dayside boundary (the magnetopause) and draws the field lines downwind like peeling back an onion's layers ... But THEMIS has found that the colliding fields often tangle, creating magnetic "ropes" that allow... (SkyAndTelescope.com)
UNH poised for NASA mission Dec 15, 2007
UNH has been awarded $61 million from NASA for its role in the mission, which will study little-understood, fundamental processes of Earth's magnetosphere - the comet-shaped magnetic shield that protects the Earth from solar and cosmic radiation. "This decision propels us forward into the busiest engineering phase of the mission," says Roy Torbert, director of the Space Science Center within the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space at UNH and the university's principal... (Seacoast New Hampshire)
Earth's Magnetic Field Could Help Protect Astronauts Working On The Moon Dec 14, 2007
Earth is largely protected by its magnetic field, or magnetosphere, but new University of Washington research shows that some parts of the moon also are protected by the magnetosphere for seven days during the 28-day orbit around Earth. "We found that there were areas of the moon that would be completely protected by the magnetosphere and other areas that are not protected at all," said Erika Harnett, a UW assistant research professor of Earth and space sciences ... Using computers to model... (Science Daily)
NASA Spacecraft Make New Discoveries About Northern Lights Dec 12, 2007
13, 2007) A fleet of NASA spacecraft, launched less than eight months ago, has made three important discoveries about spectacular eruptions of Northern Lights called "substorms" and the source of their power. NASA's Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) mission observed the dynamics of a rapidly developing substorm, confirmed the existence of giant magnetic ropes and witnessed small explosions in the outskirts of Earth's magnetic field. (Science Daily)
Northern Lights Race Across the Sky Dec 12, 2007
"It was very large, about as wide as Earth, and located approximately 40,000 miles (70,000 kilometers) above Earth's surface in a region called the magnetosphere.". (The magnetosphere is where the solar wind slams into Earth's magnetic field. (Space.com)
UNH scientists report first findings on key astrophysics problem Nov 29, 2007
The mystery involves electron acceleration during magnetic explosions that occur, for example, in solar flares and "substorms" in the Earth's magnetosphere - the comet-shaped protective sheath that surrounds the planet and where brilliant auroras occur ... When Chen analyzed 2001 data from the four-spacecraft Cluster satellite mission, which has been studying various aspects of Earth's magnetosphere, she found a series of reconnection layers and islands that were formed due to magnetic... (EurekAlert!)
Swimming a Salty Sea Nov 22, 2007
However, that could be due to radiation from Jupiter's magnetosphere altering the ice, rather than evidence of a sulfuric acid ocean ... This volcanic moon is constantly spewing particles into space, and those particles become trapped in Jupiter's rapidly rotating magnetosphere. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
China Reaches the Moon Nov 14, 2007
The Double Star spacecraft worked with ESA's four Cluster satellites to monitor energetic events in Earth's magnetosphere. Chang'e 1 is the second Asian spacecraft to reach the Moon in as many months; the first was Japan's , which arrived on October 5th. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Rosetta closes in on Earth -- a second time Nov 12, 2007
Rosetta will first point to Earth to make observations of the atmosphere and the magnetosphere, including a search for shooting stars from space. It will image urban regions in Asia, Africa and Europe and then point to the Moon and obtain spectra of the illuminated Moon. (Hindu)
Modulation of Saturn's radio clock by solar wind speed Nov 9, 2007
Here we show that these fluctuations are correlated with solar wind speed at Saturn, meaning that Saturn's radio clock is controlled, at least in part, by conditions external to the planet's magnetosphere. No correlation is found with the solar wind density, dynamic pressure or magnetic field; the solar wind speed therefore has a special function. (Nature.com (subscription))
Scientists map near-Earth space bubbles Oct 24, 2007
The pattern of convection cells, or plasma-filled bubbles residing within Earth's magnetosphere, high above the Earth's polar caps ... Earth's magnetosphere and atmosphere shelter the planet from high-energy solar particles, but the protective shells form an incomplete cocoon so some of the radiation leaks in, is trapped and forms convection cells. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Europe floats future space ideas Oct 20, 2007
The mission would deploy three orbiting platforms to perform coordinated observations of Europa, the other Jovian satellites, Jupiter's magnetosphere and its atmosphere and interior. Tandem: The mission would explore both Titan and Enceladus, the other Saturnian moon currently fascinating scientists. (BBC News -- Science)
Craft Yields New Discoveries About Jupiter Oct 11, 2007
The results add tremendously to our understanding of Jupiter and its moons, rings and magnetosphere. . (New York Times)
> read more Oct 11, 2007
The mission's team crammed more than 700 observations of Jupiter's atmosphere, rings, satellites, and magnetosphere into the six-month-long encounter window, and team leader Alan Stern proudly noted that the spacecraft executed 98% of them as planned. (One instrument shut itself down briefly when it overdosed on high-energy radiation near the planet. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Pluto-bound Spacecraft Sees Changes In Jupiter System Oct 11, 2007
The mission s investigations of Jupiter s four largest moons focused on Io, the closest to Jupiter and whose active volcanoes blast tons of material into the Jovian magnetosphere (and beyond). New Horizons spied 11 different volcanic plumes of varying size, three of which were seen for the first time and one a spectacular 200-mile-high eruption rising above the volcano Tvashtar that offered an unprecedented opportunity to trace the structure and motion of the plume as it condensed at high... (Science Daily)
Astronomers Pinpoint Origin Of Nature's Most Powerful Magnetic Bursts Oct 1, 2007
"This is the first time both the surface emission and its subsequent reprocessing in the magnetosphere have been incorporated into the same computer model," Ozel said. "This is a breakthrough because we can now distinguish between surface and magnetospheric phenomena,'' Guver said.Determining both the size and the location of the powerful burst is like "performing anatomy on a distant, tiny star,'' Ozel added. (Science Daily)
Cluster And Double Star Uncover More On Bright Aurorae Sep 13, 2007
All three missions are studying the environment of Earth's magnetosphere ... The onset of magnetic substorms that originate in Earth s magnetosphere has been explained by two competing models: current disruption and near-earth reconnection. (Science Daily)
The Sun is Making Waves – II Sep 5, 2007
Sun: ESA / NASA / SOHO; Magnetosphere: NASA What's interesting, and only now coming to light, is how pervasively the Sun's vibrations make their presence known on Earth. When five researchers, led by statistician David Thomson (Queen's University, Ontario), started looking into the cause of some recent satellite failures, they turned up vibrations matching the Sun's in a host of settings they hadn't expected: the magnetosphere, ionosphere, cellular-phone systems, transoceanic cables, and even... (SkyAndTelescope.com)
National Science Board Approves Funds For Petascale Computing Systems Aug 14, 2007
The system may be used, for example, to study complex processes like the interaction of the Sun's coronal mass ejections with the Earth's magnetosphere and ionosphere; the formation and evolution of galaxies in the early universe; understanding the chains of reactions that occur with living cells; and the design of novel materials. The project will also impact the preparation of a new generation of students with the skills required to make effective use of high-performance computing in academia... (Science Daily)
Astrophysics Projects for the Moon Aug 7, 2007
The fourth project will measure X-ray emissions caused by the solar wind and its interactions with Earth's magnetosphere. It also will help improve future measurements of low-energy X-ray emission from our galaxy. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Cassini Finds Possible Origin Of One Of Saturn's Rings Aug 7, 2007
The finding is evidence of the complex interaction between Saturn's moons, rings and magnetosphere. Studying this interaction is one of Cassini's objectives. (Science Daily)
Possible origin of Saturns mysterious G ring Aug 5, 2007
The finding is evidence of the complex interaction between Saturn s moons, rings and magnetosphere. Studying this interaction is one of Cassini s objectives. (Nature and Science)
A heavenly half century Jul 13, 2007
We now know that any planet with a magnetic field worthy of the name, like the Earth, lives inside a magnetosphere, a kind of cocoon within which our own magnetic field is confined. It is a cavity filled with particles, which sometimes leak down to form spectacular auroras over our poles, but which also shield us from the eroding wind of particles escaping our sun at high velocity. (International Herald Tribune)
Saturn's Smoking Guns Jun 23, 2007
This study establishes Tethys and Dione as important sources of plasma in Saturns magnetosphere, says Burch in a press release. The next phase of the investigation, Burch told Sky & Telescope, is to figure out the composition of the gas, which will reveal what kind of activity might be occurring on the moons. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Geophysicists Detect A Molten Rock Layer Deep Below The American Southwest Jun 22, 2007
But how to measure the conductivity of rocks buried hundreds of miles underfoot" The answer lies 93 million miles away.OutsourcingThe sun emits a continuous flow of charged atomic particles called the solar wind. This varies in strength as activity on the sun rises and falls. When gusts of particles reach Earth, they induce changes in the planet's magnetosphere, causing in turn weak, but measurable electrical currents to flow through terrestrial rocks deep inside the Earth.Toffelmier and... (Science Daily)
Two More Active Moons Around Saturn Jun 16, 2007
It establishes Tethys and Dione as important sources of plasma in Saturn s magnetosphere, says Burch ... Article: Tethys and Dione as sources of outward-flowing plasma in Saturn s magnetosphere , is by J. Burch, J. Goldstein, W. Lewis, D. Young, A. Coates, M Dougherty and N. Andr;, Nature, June 14, 2007. (Science Daily)
Saturn's 'dead' moons actually alive Jun 16, 2007
After being ejected from the moons, the charged particles become trapped inside the magnetic field surrounding , called the magnetosphere ... A great escapeThe particles remain trapped only temporarily, however, because Saturn spins so fast about its axis-a day there is only 10 hours and 46 minutes long-that it drags its magnetosphere and the trapped plasma inside it rapidly through space. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Titan may foreshadow Earth's desert future Jun 13, 2007
"It might be generated by an interaction with Saturn's magnetosphere or related to Titan's intrinsic fields," suggested Fernando Simes, a member of the PWA team. "Titan is proving to be an intriguing environment.". (MSNBC -- Technology)
Earth's future may be forseen by Titan Jun 13, 2007
"It might be generated by an interaction with Saturn's magnetosphere or related to Titan's intrinsic fields," suggested Fernando Sim. es, a member of the PWA team. (USA Today -- Tech)
US Naval Academy-built Satellite To Carry NASA Experiments May 16, 2007
The ionosphere and the magnetosphere are outer layers of the Earth's atmosphere that interact with the solar wind. One day, these instruments could help explain why Venus lost its water and whether conditions at Europa, Jupiter s moon, can support life. (Science Daily)
Pluto-bound New Horizons Provides New Look At Jupiter System May 2, 2007
NASA s New Horizons spacecraft has provided new data on the Jupiter system --- stunning scientists with never-before-seen perspectives of the giant planet s atmosphere, rings, moons and magnetosphere. Image of the planet Jupiter's moon, Io, as seen by the New Horizons spacecraft. (Science Daily)
New look at Jupiter system May 2, 2007
WASHINGTON, May 1 (Xinhua) -- NASA announced Tuesday that its New Horizons spacecraft has provided new data on the Jupiter system, stunning scientists with never-before-seen perspectives of the giant planet's atmosphere, rings, moons and magnetosphere. These new views include the closest look yet at Jupiter's Earth-sized "Little Red Spot" storm churning materials through Jupiter's cloud tops. (Xinhuanet, China)
Get Your 3D Glasses to View Our Sun in 3D! Apr 25, 2007
Solar flares take place in the solar corona and chromosphere, causing geomagnetic storms in Earth's magnetosphere ... When the ejecta reaches the Earth as an ICME (Interplanetary CME), it may disrupt the Earth's magnetosphere, compressing it on the dayside and extending the nightside tail ... When the magnetosphere reconnects on the nightside, it creates trillions of watts of power which is directed back towards the Earth's upper atmosphere. (Playfuls.com)
Radio Active Brown Dwarfs Are A New Class Of Pulsar Apr 21, 2007
There is no evidence of a binary system, so interaction of the magnetosphere with a stellar wind from a nearby star seems an unlikely cause, nor is there any sign of an orbiting planet that could produce a scenario like that of Jupiter and Io. However, rapid rotation is also thought to be a source of electron acceleration for a component of Jupiter's maser emission and this may also be the main source of TVLM 513's radio flashes. (Science Daily)
Shields For The Starship Enterprise: A Reality? Apr 20, 2007
An artificial magnetosphere could be generated around manned space craft en route to the Moon or Mars to protect the occupants from the potentially lethal radiation in space from the Sun. A superconducting ring on board such a space craft could produce a magnetic field, or mini-magnetosphere, similar to the Earth's, which would create a Star Trek like 'deflector or plasma shield ... They will build a miniature magnetosphere in a laboratory to see if a deflector shield can be used to protect... (Science Daily)
Space shield to block radiation Apr 19, 2007
There are a variety of risks facing future space explorers, not least of which is the cancer-causing radiation encountered when missions venture beyond the protective magnetic envelope, or magnetosphere, which shields the Earth against these energetic particles ... The Earth's magnetosphere deflects many of these particles; others are largely absorbed by the atmosphere ... The team from Rutherford-Appleton plans to build an artificial magnetosphere in the laboratory. (BBC News -- Science)
Cluster Sees Tsunamis In Space Apr 17, 2007
Colourful dancing auroral forms are the results of disturbances known as substorms taking place in Earth s magnetosphere ... Previous satellite observations have found that, during this late stage, the flows of plasma (a gas of charged particles populating Earth s magnetosphere) in the magnetotail exhibit a reversal in direction ... By comparing the directions of the electric current and the electric field in the magnetosphere it is possible to understand whether the cause of the flow reversal... (Science Daily)
Global Positioning System Significantly Impacted By Powerful Solar Radio Burst Apr 9, 2007
" Forecasters from the NOAA Space Environment Center in Boulder, Colo., observed two powerful solar flares on December 5 and 6, 2006. These violent eruptions originated from a large sunspot cluster identified by NOAA.On December 6, 2006, a solar flare created an unprecedented intense solar radio burst causing large numbers of receivers to stop tracking the GPS signal. Using specially designed receivers built at Cornell University as sensitive space weather monitors, Cornell scientists were able... (Science Daily)
Rosetta And New Horizons Watch Jupiter Apr 3, 2007
However, as Alan Stern, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas (USA), and New Horizon s Principal Investigator says, We couldn t pass up this opportunity to study Jupiter s meteorology, rings, aurorae, satellites, and magnetosphere. Rosetta, just after having swung by Mars and while on its way to comet 67P-Churyumov Gerasimenko, played an important role in this research, providing global observations of Jupiter s aurora and the Io plasma torus that can be correlated with New Horizons... (Science Daily)
