Meet Steve, a newly discovered atmospheric phenomenon that’s so strange it still doesn’t have a formal scientific description, hence the placeholder name. Thanks to the work of aurora enthusiasts and atmospheric scientists, we’re now learning more about Steve, but many questions remain.
For the first time, physicists have observed a mysterious process called magnetic reconnection—wherein opposing magnetic field lines join up, releasing a tremendous burst of energy. The discovery, published today in Science, may help us unlock the secrets of space weather and learn about some of the weirdest, most…
At 10:44 PM ET last night, NASA successfully launched the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket into space. It carries with it four Magnetospheric Multiscale spacecraft that will spend two years studying the magnetic fields between the Earth and the Sun.
It may look like a giant ball oozing with earthworms, but it's actually a simulation of Jupiter's massive and complex magnetosphere — a magnetic field that extends more than four million miles from its surface.
The exoplanet WASP-12b, located 867 light-years from Earth, is just two million miles away from its star. It has a surface temperature of 4000 degrees Fahrenheit, and it has to take some seriously extreme measures to keep its atmosphere intact.
In 2000, the European Space Agency sent four spacecraft into the magnetosphere, to study how the magnetic field around the planet works. For a decade, the craft have analyzed the aurora, solar winds, and more. How do they do it?
Click to viewWhile many hurdles are keeping us stuck here on Earth, our solar system's deadly radiation is chief among them. But scientists now think that a thumb-sized magnet could produce a force field big enough to shield an entire spaceship.
If you've ever wondered why the air seems thinner at either of Earth's poles, then the answer may have something to do with our planet's magnetic field, and the fact that it just may be stealing our oxygen.
Apple may have absorbed the super-neato Magnetosphere visualizer into iTunes, but they did make some tweaks in their Borging process. Just like those Picard-obsessed skinjobs, the iTunes version is obsessed with planets and launching millions of photon torpedoes into them. The original, seen here, has more sparklies…
According to rumors, the new iTunes 8 presumably coming next week at the Apple "Let Us Rock" event will come with some beautiful new visualizations. Now, new rumors say that the new visualizations will actually be Magnetosphere, a formerly-available plugin by artist Robert Hodgin. After seeing the gorgeous video…
Forget the ozone layer, global warming, and all of the other things environmentalists whine about: the one thing holding life together here on Earth is its powerful magnetic field. And for the past 150 years that humans have been measuring it, our only line of defense against deadly cosmic and solar radiation has…
