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The Northern Lights and Australis (Northern Lights and Southern Lights) are probably the best known results of the Earth’s magnetic field. When charged particles from the solar wind enter the Earth’s magnetic field, they can occasionally cause spectacular light exposures.
For years, scientists have believed that the charged particles that gave rise to these displays were sent in equal numbers to the North and South Poles.
However, recent research by a team led by scientists at the University of Alberta has shown that there are in fact more charged particles moving north rather than south. The question now is why?
The data used by the scientists was collected by the constellation of Swarm satellites – a set of 3 satellites that have observed the Earth’s magnetic field since 2013.
One thing he noticed around this time is that the Earth’s magnetic south pole is “farther from the earth’s axis of rotation than the magnetic north pole,” says Ivan Pakhotin, the lead author of the article.
This leads to differences in reflection of a type of electromagnetic wave known as Alfven waves, which eventually cause differences in the way the North and South Poles interact with the solar wind.
This measured asymmetry could mean a number of things. On the one hand, the chemistry that takes place in the upper atmosphere could vary considerably between the North and South Poles, which could have significant climate impacts on the ground. But also, it could mean a gap between the two Auroras.
So far, the effects of asymmetry are unclear, and as with almost all good science, it deserves further study. Swarm will continue its mission to collect data that will be relevant to solving the mystery.
In the meantime, those of us fortunate enough to experience Auroras for ourselves can continue to gaze upward in wonder, no matter how dissimilar they are.
This article was originally published by Universe Today. Read the original article.
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