NEW YORK: A solar shockwave surrounding Earth has been witnessed for the first time, by the Van Allen probes, operated by NASA.
On October 8, 2013, a wave of solar wind erupted at supersonic speeds from the Sun, and headed toward our home planet. Then the blast of charged particles arrived at Earth, they struck our planet’s magnetic field, generating a magnetized pulse that raced around the globe.
Data of this event, recorded by the Van Allen, was carefully analyzed by astronomers. They found that a magnetosonic pulse, lasting 60 seconds, engulfed the planet. This event provided some particles with vast amounts of energy, accelerating them to tremendous velocities.
The Van Allen probes have been orbiting within Earth’s Van Allen radiation belts since August 2012. The purpose of the mission is to explore conditions within the belts, in order to assist researchers in designing satellites and other spacecraft that can withstand the harsh environment.
Some particles, driven by the solar shockwave, can travel at ultrarelativistic velocities, racing around the planet in just five minutes.
NEW YORK: A solar shockwave surrounding Earth has been witnessed for the first time, by the Van Allen probes, operated by NASA.
On October 8, 2013, a wave of solar wind erupted at supersonic speeds from the Sun, and headed toward our home planet. Then the blast of charged particles arrived at Earth, they struck our planet’s magnetic field, generating a magnetized pulse that raced around the globe.
Data of this event, recorded by the Van Allen, was carefully analyzed by astronomers. They found that a magnetosonic pulse, lasting 60 seconds, engulfed the planet. This event provided some particles with vast amounts of energy, accelerating them to tremendous velocities.
The Van Allen probes have been orbiting within Earth’s Van Allen radiation belts since August 2012. The purpose of the mission is to explore conditions within the belts, in order to assist researchers in designing satellites and other spacecraft that can withstand the harsh environment.
Some particles, driven by the solar shockwave, can travel at ultrarelativistic velocities, racing around the planet in just five minutes.
