Northern lights dance to the snap of Earth's magnetic field
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.h [2008-7-25]
Tag : rubber component
Scientists have been trying to figure out for decades what makesthe aurora swirl and undulate through the northern and southernskies.
The $200-million system of satellites and ground stations has, ineffect, allowed them to "fly into the eye of the storm," says spacephysicist Ian Mann from the University of Alberta, a member of theteam that has published its new findings online in the journalScience.
They say explosive short-circuits, or reconnections, in Earth'smagnetic field lines trigger the onset of so-called "substorms"which cause the aurora to suddenly brighten and dance.
Earth's magnetic field, which protects the planet from harsh solarradiation, absorbs energy from the solar wind, which is constantlybuffeting the planet. The wind stretches Earth's magnetic fieldlines far off into space producing the magnetotail, says NASAscientist David Sibeck. But he says the magnetic field lines canonly be stretched so far before they snap "like rubber bands."
"You build up these big currents, you store lots of energy and thensuddenly BANG, they snap," Sibeck told a media teleconference. Vastamounts of energy are then flung back toward Earth, powering up theaurora in both the northern and southern hemispheres.
Scientists have been trying to figure out for decades what makesthe aurora swirl and undulate through the northern and southernskies.
The $200-million system of satellites and ground stations has, ineffect, allowed them to "fly into the eye of the storm," says spacephysicist Ian Mann from the University of Alberta, a member of theteam that has published its new findings online in the journalScience.
They say explosive short-circuits, or reconnections, in Earth'smagnetic field lines trigger the onset of so-called "substorms"which cause the aurora to suddenly brighten and dance.
Earth's magnetic field, which protects the planet from harsh solarradiation, absorbs energy from the solar wind, which is constantlybuffeting the planet. The wind stretches Earth's magnetic fieldlines far off into space producing the magnetotail, says NASAscientist David Sibeck. But he says the magnetic field lines canonly be stretched so far before they snap "like rubber bands."
"You build up these big currents, you store lots of energy and thensuddenly BANG, they snap," Sibeck told a media teleconference. Vastamounts of energy are then flung back toward Earth, powering up theaurora in both the northern and southern hemispheres.
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