Ionosphere

An artist's impression of the polar wind, which is produced by the newly discovered ambipolar electric field

Science

NASA discovers a new global energy field around Earth

NASA scientists have discovered a third global energy field around Earth. Known as the ambipolar electric field, this force drives charged particles into space above the poles and joins the known gravity and electromagnetic fields.

An artist's impression of NASA's MAVEN spacecraft

Astronomy

Solar wind vanishes completely, causing Mars' magnetosphere to swell

The solar wind is constant in the solar system – except on Christmas Day 2022 when it suddenly vanished completely. The event was detected by a NASA spacecraft orbiting Mars, which found that the Red Planet’s magnetosphere tripled in size in response.

New research shows how ash from volcanic eruptions could trigger drastic climate shifts, as was the case in 1816

Environment

How a volcano short-circuited Earth's ionosphere to trigger "Year Without A Summer"

The unusually cold year of 1816 has been linked to one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions in recorded history, and now we may know how. A new paper explains how electrified ash from the eruption could have “short-circuited” the Earth’s ionosphere and triggered the “Year Without A Summer.”

In addition to forming the plasma jets, Birkeland currents also contribute to the aurora borealis or northern lights

Science

Supersonic plasma jets discovered in Earth's upper atmosphere

The ESA's Swarm satellites have found a strange system at work in the upper atmosphere. Electrical fields created as solar winds interact with the planet’s magnetic field have been found to drive supersonic plasma jets, which can heat the ionosphere to temperatures as high as 10,000º C (18,032º F).

Enormous plasma pipes above the Earth are created when ionizing radiation from the sun strikes atoms in the ionosphere

Physics

University student maps plasma tubes in the sky

A Sydney University student has used an Australian outback radio telescope to locate previously unknown plasma pipes in the upper atmosphere. Using a clever imaging technique, a 3D movie has been made of their moving formations too.

NASA's new study, which focused in part on the pictured auroral region, will help allow scientists to predict when and where ionosphere irregularities will occur (NASA/JSC)

Astronomy

NASA study looks to the ionosphere to improve GPS communications

A new NASA study focusing on irregularities in Earth’s upper atmosphere may help scientists overcome disruptions in GPS communication. The findings provide an insight into the causes of the disruptive regions, and represent the first time that such observations have been made from space.

HAARP operational site on the edge of Denali State Park northeast of Anchorage, Alaska (Photo: HAARP)

Science

HAARP ionospheric research program set to continue

Contrary to recent reports, the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program, also known as HAARP, is currently in hiatus between two operating contractors rather than being permanently shut down.