Large space - weather events, such as geomagnetic storms, can alter the incoming radio waves — a distortion that scientists can use to determine the concentration of plasma particles in the upper atmosphere. (sciencedaily.com)
By combining observations from the ground and in space, the team observed a plume of low - energy plasma particles that essentially hitches a ride along magnetic field lines — streaming from Earth's lower atmosphere up to the point, tens of thousands of kilometers above the surface, where the planet's magnetic field connects with that of the sun. (sciencedaily.com)
It will measure magnetic fields and plasma particles as part of a study of the composition of the Martian atmosphere. (newscientist.com)