Fast magnetic reconnection, the rapid convergence, separation and explosive snapping together of magnetic field lines, gives rise to northern lights, solar flares and geomagnetic storms that can disrupt cell phone service ...
Plasma Physics
Feb 19, 2019
1
192
Plasmas, gas-like collections of ions and electrons, make up an estimated 99 percent of the visible matter in the universe, including the sun, the stars, and the gaseous medium that permeates the space in between. Most of ...
Plasma Physics
Dec 1, 2017
8
307
Powerful solar eruptions could electrically charge areas of the Martian moon Phobos to hundreds of volts, presenting a complex electrical environment that could possibly affect sensitive electronics carried by future robotic ...
Space Exploration
Oct 18, 2017
107
195
Auroras are the most visible manifestation of the sun's effect on Earth, but many aspects of these spectacular displays are still poorly understood. Thanks to the joint European Space Agency and NASA's Cluster mission combined ...
Space Exploration
Dec 18, 2014
0
0
(Phys.org) —A new look at the early solar system introduces an alternative to a long-taught, but largely discredited, theory that seeks to explain how biomolecules were once able to form inside of asteroids. In place of ...
Space Exploration
Oct 1, 2013
10
0
When a solar flare filled with charged particles erupts from the sun, its magnetic fields sometime break a widely accepted rule of physics. The flux-freezing theorem dictates that the magnetic lines of force should flow away ...
Astronomy
May 22, 2013
32
0
January saw the biggest solar storm since 2005, generating some of the most dazzling northern lights in recent memory.
Plasma Physics
Feb 15, 2012
13
0
Using data collected by NASA's STEREO spacecraft, researchers at Southwest Research Institute and the National Solar Observatory have developed the first detailed images of solar wind structures as plasma and other particles ...
Space Exploration
Aug 18, 2011
4
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- It's official: The sun is a sphere.
Space Exploration
Feb 7, 2011
3
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at the University of Warwick have found what could be the signal of ideal wave "surfing" conditions for individual particles within the massive turbulent ocean of the solar wind. The discovery ...
Plasma Physics
Aug 31, 2009
0
0
