Probe Sees More Hidden Territory On Mercury Nov 9, 2009
The comparison of magnetosphere observations from the spacecraft's first flyby in January with data from the probe's second pass has provided key new insight into the nature of Mercury's internal magnetic field and revealed new features of its magnetosphere. The magnetosphere is the volume surrounding Mercury that is controlled by the planet's magnetic field. (Science Daily)
Cassini Helps Redraw Shape Of Solar System Oct 17, 2009
Energetic neutral atom imaging has demonstrated its power to reveal the distribution of energetic ions, first in Earth s own magnetosphere, next in the giant magnetosphere of Saturn and now throughout vast structures in space out to the very edge of our sun s interaction with the interstellar medium, says Edmond C. Roelof, MIMI/INCA co-investigator at APL.. Researchers from University of Arizona, Tucson, Southwest Research Institute, and University of Texas at San Antonio contributed to the... (Science Daily)
Probe zooms past Mercury for last flyby Sep 30, 2009
The probe was commanded to target its camera eyes at interesting craters, measure Mercury's magnetosphere and tenuous atmosphere, as well as study the planet's odd, cometlike tail of trace gases. "This is the last look at Mercury's equatorial region, and it's the last time we fly through the tail," Solomon said. (MSNBC -- Technology)
New Transient Radiation Belt Around Saturn Sep 21, 2009
The most dramatic changes have been observed as sudden increases in the intensity of high energy charged particles in the inner part of Saturn's magnetosphere, in the vicinity of the moons Dione and Tethys," said Dr. Roussos. These intensifications, which could create temporary satellite atmospheres around these moons, occurred three times in 2005 as a response to an equal number of solar storms that hit Saturn's magnetosphere and formed a new, temporary component to Saturn s radiation belts,"... (Science Daily)
Ganymede Makes Big Impression On Jupiter's Auroral Lightshows Sep 20, 2009
Uniquely amongst Jupiter s moons, Ganymede has a strong enough magnetic field to carve a protective magnetic bubble within Jupiter s powerful magnetosphere ... However, using a three-dimensional computer model to map the footprint back along the field lines, the team has found that it corresponds well with the diameter of Ganymede s mini-magnetosphere. (Science Daily)
Sun Bombards Earth With High-speed Wind Stream Sep 18, 2009
When the magnetic fields in the solar winds point in a direction opposite to the magnetic lines in Earth's magnetosphere, they have their strongest effect. The strength and speed of the magnetic fields in the high-speed streams can also affect Earth's response. (Science Daily)
Jupiter Auroras Fed by Largest Moon's Magnetic "Bubble" Sep 18, 2009
A mini-magnetosphere around the largest moon in the solar system leaves a mighty footprint on 's atmosphere helping to drive the "hyperauroras" that dance across the planet's poles ... Scientists have suspected that this mini-magnetosphere might be involved in generating the auroras, but the connection has been unclear ... The team found that the size of Ganymede's auroral footprint matches the size of the moon's magnetosphere, confirming its role in Jupiter's auroras. (National Geographic)
Surprise In Earth's Upper Atmosphere Discovered Sep 11, 2009
11, 2009) UCLA atmospheric scientists have discovered a previously unknown basic mode of energy transfer from the solar wind to the Earth's magnetosphere ... When the charged electrical particles approach the Earth, they carve out a highly magnetized region the magnetosphere which surrounds and protects the Earth ... Charged particles carry currents, which cause significant modifications in the Earth's magnetosphere. (Science Daily)
AGU journal highlights -- Sept. 9, 2009 Sep 10, 2009
The authors believe that the study should help improve scientists' understanding of how angular momentum is transferred from the inner planet to Saturn's magnetosphere ... In recent years, NASA's Cassini satellite has found interesting activity in Saturn's magnetosphere that has attracted scientists' attention. (EurekAlert!)
Can Magnetism Save a Vaporizing Planet? Sep 2, 2009
The ions fill up the planet's magnetosphere like smoke in a bottle, but they're not stripped away. There's no need to explain why the planet is evaporating, because it isn't. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Target Europa: Ambitious Plans Aim for Jupiter's Ocean Moon Sep 2, 2009
Also, a European Space Agency (ESA) orbiter, launched separately, would focus on the planet's largest moon , while a Japanese probe would monitor Jupiter's magnetosphere ... Having three orbiters (including the Japanese craft) would facilitate a thorough survey of Jupiter's magnetosphere. (Scientific American)
Phobos-Grunt Probe to Put Microbial Life in Mars Orbit Sep 2, 2009
have survived in low Earth orbit for up to six years but have only rarely, and briefly, left the protection of Earth's magnetosphere, which deflects the damaging cosmic rays that penetrate deep space. (When Apollo 12 returned to Earth in 1969 with the camera from the unmanned Surveyor 3 lander, which had spent more than two years on the lunar surface, , a possible stowaway from before the probe was launched. (Scientific American)
Signs Of Ideal Surfing Conditions Spotted In Ocean Of Solar Wind Sep 2, 2009
Earth's magnetic shield, or magnetosphere, protects us from most effects of solar storms and the solar wind. (Credit: SOHO image composite by Steele Hill (NASA)). (Science Daily)
Neptune twenty years later Aug 28, 2009
It had a magnetic field that the spacecraft stumbled upon, first detecting radio emissions from it and then crossing the bow shock (the outer boundary of the magnetosphere) the day before closest approach. Unusually, Neptune s magnetic field is tilted by 47 degrees to the axis of rotation, and is offset from the dead centre of the planet by around 10,000 kilometres. (Astronomy Now Online)
NO FOR NASA: PANEL SAYS MAN ON MOON OUT OF REACH FOR 20 YEARS... Aug 15, 2009
NASA's moon plan too ambitious, Obama panel says - Nation - MiamiHerald (The Drudge Report)
Aurora pays visit to North Dakota Jul 27, 2009
Bismarck Tribune - News. I think they are one of the most beautiful sights and wish I knew when they occasionally show themselves so I could see them again. (Bismarck Tribune, ND)
ERAU scientist awarded $500,000 grant Jul 25, 2009
Katariina Nykyri, a 34-year-old physical scientist at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, recently received a National Science Foundation grant worth nearly $500,000 over the next five years to study plasma and its interactions with the Earth's magnetosphere ... In a teaching-research position at Imperial College in London, she kept up with the Cluster satellites, which collect data from the magnetosphere ... GIANT SPACE HURRICANES: Solar wind can form Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities, or giant... (Daytona Beach News Journal)
The great comet collision Jul 21, 2009
After fragment K hit, it even sparked an aurora in the magnetosphere above it as the upward moving blast wave accelerated charged particles through Jupiter s immense magnetic field. The largest of the impacts belonged to fragment G on 18 July, which left a bruise 12,000 kilometres across, unleashing the equivalent of six million megatons of TNT on poor, battered Jupiter. (Astronomy Now Online)
NASA's Moon Plans Bring Hope, Challenges Jul 18, 2009
In space, beyond the magnetosphere, protection from cosmic radiation is low. Astronauts have reported seeing flashes of light with their eyes closed. (CBS News -- Sci/Tech)
Radio quiet gamma-ray pulsars solve mystery Jul 7, 2009
"This favors models in which the gamma rays are emitted from the outer magnetosphere of the pulsar, as opposed to the polar cap much closer to the surface of the star," says Parkinson. Johnson tells Astronomy Now that it is very likely that all pulsars have strong radio emission. (Astronomy Now Online)
Radio-quiet Gamma-ray Pulsars Discovered Jul 3, 2009
"This favors models in which the gamma rays are emitted from the outer magnetosphere of the pulsar, as opposed to the polar cap much closer to the surface of the star," Saz Parkinson said. The very intense magnetic and electric fields of a pulsar accelerate charged particles to nearly the speed of light, and these particles are ultimately responsible for the gamma-ray emissions. (Science Daily)
Magnetospheric Multiscale mission enters implementation phase Jun 19, 2009
Unique to the MMS mission is the careful navigation of the four observatories to place them in a pyramid configuration of very small size (or separation) in regions such as the boundary between the Earth's magnetosphere and the solar wind where reconnection is known to occur. "We see MMS as the culmination of many years of investigation into magnetic reconnection involving spacecraft and laboratory measurements as well as theoretical analysis and large-scale computer models," says Dr. James L.... (EurekAlert! -- Business News)
Earth losing atmosphere faster than neighbors Jun 3, 2009
"The visible manifestation of geomagnetic activity is the aurora the sun interacts with magnetosphere and causes it to glow but there are other things that go on when the particles interact with the atmosphere," said Scott Bailey, with the. Click for related content. (MSNBC -- Technology)
SARS spurs China to act on AIDS Jun 2, 2009
The magnetosphere, long seen as our benign protector from the sun, may actually be focusing energy into the poles and aiding atmospheric loss ... The magnetosphere, long seen as our benign protector from the sun, may actually be focusing energy into the poles and aiding atmospheric loss. (Yahoo News -- SARS)
Smart switching could solve communication tangle May 31, 2009
The magnetosphere, long seen as our benign protector from the sun, may actually be focusing energy into the poles and aiding atmospheric loss. 23:54 29 May 2009 17 comments. (Yahoo News -- Instant Messaging)
NASA Examining Nicks On Shuttle Tiles May 13, 2009
With the type of limited shielding we have available now, the planet's magnetosphere would kill anyone who got any closer than Elara. And even at that range, the magnetosphere is strong enough to kill. (CBS News)
More of Mercury Revealed May 9, 2009
Detailed observations of Mercurys changing magnetosphere reveal that its strongly coupled to the solar wind ... Messengers detailed readings of Mercurys magnetosphere and the composition of its tenuous atmosphere may help answer questions about Mercurys formation and history. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Auroras from "Space Tornadoes" Apr 30, 2009
Or Earth's magnetosphere ... Electrons and ions stream down magnetic field lines from Earth's distended magnetosphere ... Even specialists whose careers are about grasping the magnetosphere haven't really gotten it all. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Autonomous Antarctic observatories gather space weather data Apr 10, 2009
Earth's magnetic field extends far into space, where energy from the solar wind can be readily transferred to our "magnetosphere." A vast amount of energy follows magnetic field lines to the vicinity of the poles, driving aurora and other phenomena at high latitudes ... The term "space weather" generally refers to conditions on the Sun, in the solar wind, and within Earth's magnetosphere and upper atmosphere that can influence the performance and reliability of space-borne and ground-based... (EurekAlert! -- Business News)
Space Storm Alert: 'We're moving closer and closer to the edge of a possible disaster'... Mar 26, 2009
If flung towards the Earth, the plasma ball will accelerate as it travels through space and its intense magnetic field will soon interact with the planet's magnetic field, the magnetosphere ... "The CME just opens up the magnetosphere like a can-opener, and matter squirts in.". (The Drudge Report)
A Scary 13th: 20 Years Ago, Earth Was Blasted with a Massive Plume of Solar Plasma [Slide Show] Mar 14, 2009
Two days later, the torrid gas cloud crashed against Earth's magnetosphere the magnetic field generated by the planet's spinning molten iron core that helps deflect the solar wind and more potent solar jetsam. This blast from the sun severely disrupted the magnetosphere and set off a. (Scientific American)
