Invisible ‘space hurricane’ detected over North Pole for the first time

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1000 km. The plasma “space hurricane” that has raged over the North Pole has been confirmed and described by scientists for the first time, the University of Reading said in a press release on Thursday.

Despite its name, the space hurricane has nothing to do with stormy weather on Earth. Unlike the latter, which occur in the Earth’s lower atmosphere, space hurricanes occur in the upper atmosphere. The “storm” here is made up of a combination of solar winds (high speed plasma released by the Sun) and magnetic field lines. Eventually, the winds move quickly and due to the magnetic field lines, they form a shape similar to an Earth hurricane. And just like an ordinary hurricane pours rain, a space hurricane pours electrons.

But while scientists had theoretical knowledge about the phenomenon, it was not clear if they actually existed. The fact that such storms are not visible to the naked eye only makes the discovery of such a storm even less likely.

One such storm was discovered after four weather satellites detected it over the North Magnetic Pole as it raged for about eight hours on August 20, 2014.

The magnetic field lines at the North Pole had caused the storm of plasma and charged particles to form a rotating funnel shape, with a silent “eye” in the center, similar to the eye of a thunderstorm.

This discovery, which was published in the peer-reviewed academic journal Nature communications, is significant because it is the first recorded evidence that the phenomenon is even possible.

But scientists are convinced that not only was it not a one-time event, but space hurricanes should be common on other planets with magnetic shields and plasma in its atmosphere.

“Plasma and magnetic fields in the atmosphere of planets exist throughout the universe, so the results suggest space hurricanes are likely to be a widespread phenomenon,” said study co-author Mike Lockwood, space scientist. at the University of Reading.

Despite their intimidating name, space hurricanes are not inherently dangerous, as upper atmosphere phenomena pose little or no threat to the rest of the planet.

However, they could impact GPS, radio signals, and even satellite drag. In a statement, lead author Professor Qing-He Zhang of Shadong University in China warned that the phenomenon could lead to “an increase in errors in radar tracking, satellite navigation and communication systems.” .



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