University College, London | 2018 Nov 15
A close study of auroras has revealed new ways of understanding the physics of explosive energy releases in space
A close study of auroras has revealed new ways of understanding the physics of explosive energy releases in space, according to new UCL-led research.
Auroras are an incredible light show caused by electrically charged particles in near-Earth space spiralling down Earth’s magnetic field and colliding with gases in the atmosphere, causing them to glow.
They are also a tell-tale sign of physical processes in space, acting like TV screens by showing what happens millions of kilometres away from Earth where our planet’s magnetic field stretches into a long tail facing away from the Sun.
For the study, published today in Nature Communications, the team from UCL and the University of Reading remotely observed rapidly evolving aurora to understand the physics behind why, when and how energy is released as the source of the aurora explosively reconfigures. ...
A Diagnosis of the Plasma Waves Responsible for the Explosive
Energy Release of Substorm Onset ~ Nadine M. E. Kalmoni et al
- Nature Communications 9:4806 (15 Nov 2018) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07086-0