Category Astronomy/Space

(a) The trajectory of the electron #1 in the 3D velocity space. (b) A conceptual model of the noncrossing electron orbits. A noncrossing Speiser orbit (solid line) and a noncrossing regular orbit (red). They are computed in a configuration similar to the traditional Speiser orbit (dashed line) in Figure 1. (c) The velocity-space trajectory of the noncrossing Speiser orbit for y < 0 and z < 1.5.

Phenomena like solar flares and auroras are consequences of magnetic reconnection in the near-Earth space. These “magnetic reconnection” events are akin to magnetic explosions that accelerate particles as they rapidly change the topology of the magnetic field lines...

This artist’s conception shows a star behind a shattered comet. One of the theories for KIC 8462852’s unusual dimming is the presence of debris from a collision or breakup of a planet or comet in the star’s system, creating a short-term cloud that blocks some starlight. Credit: Image is courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech

Star KIC 8462852 in constellation Cygnus has been raising eyebrows both in and outside of the scientific community for the past year. In 2015 a team of astronomers announced that the star underwent a series of very brief, non-periodic dimming events while it was being monitored by NASA’s Kepler space telescope, and no one could quite figure out what caused them. A new study from Carnegie’s Josh Simon and Caltech’s Ben Montet has deepened the mystery...

Every 11 years the polarity of the sun’s magnetic field is reversed. Could the weak tidal forces of Venus, the Earth and Jupiter directly influence the sun’s activity? Credit: NASA/SDO

The Sun’s activity is determined by the Sun’s magnetic field. Two combined effects are responsible for the latter: The omega and the alpha effect. Exactly where and how the alpha effect originates is currently unknown. Researchers at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) are putting forward a new theory for this in the journal Solar Physics. Their calculations suggest that tidal forces from Venus, the Earth and Jupiter can directly influence the Sun’s activity.

Many questions regarding the Sun’s magnetic field are still unanswered. “As with the Earth, we are dealing with a dynamo...

The magnetic field and electric currents in and around Earth generate complex forces that have immeasurable impact on every day life. The field can be thought of as a huge bubble, protecting us from cosmic radiation and charged particles that bombard Earth in solar winds. Credit: ESA/ATG medialab

Oceans might not be thought of as magnetic, but they make a tiny contribution to our planet’s protective magnetic shield. Remarkably, ESA’s Swarm satellites have not only measured this extremely faint field, but have also led to new discoveries about the electrical nature of inner Earth. The magnetic field shields us from cosmic radiation and charged particles that bombard Earth from the Sun. Without it, the atmosphere as we know it would not exist, rendering life virtually impossible...