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First Ever Space Hurricane Seen in Earth’s Upper Atmosphere

maximus otter

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Researchers have used satellite observations to identify what they’re calling a “space hurricane” in Earth’s upper atmosphere, Nature reports. The results, published last month, represent the first time a space hurricane has ever been detected over our planet.

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An illustration based on the satellite observation data from the first confirmed instance of a space hurricane.(Qing-He Zhang, Shandong University)

The team spotted the churning mass of charged particles—ionized gas called plasma—hovering several hundred miles above the North Pole during a retrospective analysis of data collected in August 2014.

“Until now, it was uncertain that space plasma hurricanes even existed, so to prove this with such a striking observation is incredible,” Mike Lockwood, an astrophysicist at the University of Reading and co-author of the paper, said in a statement.

The space hurricane described in the paper measured roughly 600 miles across and rained down charged electrons instead of water for nearly eight hours as it spun counter-clockwise at speeds up to 4,700 miles-per-hour.

“These space hurricanes must be created by unusually large and rapid transfer of solar wind energy and charged particles into the Earth’s upper atmosphere,” explains Lockwood in the statement.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smar...ne-spotted-earths-upper-atmosphere-180977176/

maximus otter
 
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