A recent study used observations of
magnetic reconnection from NASA's ARTEMIS — Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of the Moon's Interaction with the Sun — to show that in the long tail of the nighttime magnetosphere, extending away from Earth and the sun, most of the energy is converted into heat.
Not exact matches
Previous work has suggested that
magnetic reconnection can not allow all enough plasma to escape
from the magnetosphere.
They plan to examine data
from other instruments on MAVEN to see if escaping particles map to the same regions where they see reconnected
magnetic fields to confirm that
reconnection is contributing to Martian atmospheric loss and determine how significant it is.
Yellow lines represent
magnetic field lines
from the Sun carried by the solar wind, blue lines represent Martian surface
magnetic fields, white sparks are
reconnection activity, and red lines are reconnected
magnetic fields that link the surface to space via the Martian magnetotail.
Just like that, a flotilla of NASA spacecraft has plumbed one of the deeper mysteries of space physics: what causes «
magnetic reconnection,» the process that allows energy
from the sun's
magnetic field to leak into Earth's, triggering potentially damaging space weather.
To see whether these are generated by the same process as happens on the sun — the breaking and
reconnection of
magnetic fields (pictured above)-- astronomers studied light
from 100,000 stars using China's Guo Shouiing Telescope.
«We believe that this is an important piece of the puzzle for understanding how
magnetic reconnection works, how charged particles are accelerated, and how particles
from different regions can be mixed with each other,» says Daniel Graham.
Sometimes, such as during an event called
magnetic reconnection where the lines explosively collide, the particles are shot off their trajectories, as if they were fired
from a cannon.
Due to launch in late 2014, MMS will investigate how the sun and Earth's
magnetic fields connect and disconnect, explosively transferring energy
from one to the other — a fundamental physical process that occurs throughout the universe, known as
magnetic reconnection.
Magnetic reconnection, in which the magnetic field lines in plasma snap apart and violently reconnect, creates massive eruptions of plasma from
Magnetic reconnection, in which the
magnetic field lines in plasma snap apart and violently reconnect, creates massive eruptions of plasma from
magnetic field lines in plasma snap apart and violently reconnect, creates massive eruptions of plasma
from the sun.
Other projects launched during Prager's tenure include a new facility to investigate
magnetic reconnection, an explosive process that is found throughout the universe; a plasma nanotechnology laboratory, and fledgling activities in mass separation using ideas
from plasma physics.
The differential rotation of the Sun's latitudes causes its
magnetic field lines to become twisted together over time, causing
magnetic field loops to erupt
from the Sun's surface and trigger the formation of the Sun's dramatic sunspots and solar prominences (see
magnetic reconnection).
Electric currents are one way that this energy
from magnetic reconnection is carried through the system.
Magnetic reconnection - the merging of oppositely - directed magnetic fields such that they become connected to each other - between the interplanetary field and the Earth's magnetic field, allows energy from the solar wind to enter the near - Earth envi
Magnetic reconnection - the merging of oppositely - directed
magnetic fields such that they become connected to each other - between the interplanetary field and the Earth's magnetic field, allows energy from the solar wind to enter the near - Earth envi
magnetic fields such that they become connected to each other - between the interplanetary field and the Earth's
magnetic field, allows energy from the solar wind to enter the near - Earth envi
magnetic field, allows energy
from the solar wind to enter the near - Earth environment.
The scientists plan to develop detailed simulations of the emergence of the
magnetic field
from the subsurface of the Sun into its atmosphere, as well as gain a three - dimensional view of plasma turbulence and
magnetic reconnection in space that lead to plasma heating.