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Scientists say they have confirmed the existence of space hurricanes, with a mass 600 miles wide spotted over the North Pole.
Researchers led by the Chinese University of Shandong used satellite data to identify the space hurricane, finding that it was not a swirling pattern of air but gas ionized by plasma.
The mass was showering electrons instead of water and it lasted almost eight hours before it broke down.
Professor Mike Lockwood, a space scientist at the University of Reading, said hurricanes could be a universal phenomenon on planets and moons with magnetic fields and plasma.
He said: “Until now, it was uncertain that space plasma hurricanes even existed, so to prove it with such a vivid observation is incredible.
“Tropical storms are associated with enormous amounts of energy, and these space hurricanes must be created by an unusually large and rapid transfer of solar wind energy and charged particles into the Earth’s upper atmosphere.
“Plasma and magnetic fields in the atmosphere of planets exist throughout the universe, so the findings suggest that space hurricanes should be a widespread phenomenon.”
The space hurricane, which occurred during a period of low geomagnetic activity, was found to share many characteristics with hurricanes in Earth’s lower atmosphere – a calm center, spiral arms, and widespread circulation.
They are expected to result in space weather effects such as increased satellite drag, disruption in high frequency radio communications, and increased errors in radar location above the horizon. , satellite navigation and communication systems.
The results were published in Nature Communications.
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