‘Space hurricanes’ churn at both of Earth’s magnetic poles

An evaluation of satellite data accumulated from 2005 to 2016 recognized 259 room storm occasions in the Southern Hemisphere’s ionosphere, space physicist Sheng Lu of Shandong University in Weihai, China, and colleagues report June 25 in the Journal of Geophysical Study: Space Physics. Room typhoons in both hemispheres tend to happen in summer season months.

The researchers think that the tornados are driven by shifts in Earth’s magnetic field created by the solar wind (SN: 8/18/17). When the lines reconnect, they roil ionized gas in the ionosphere, driving flows of electric current upward, the team recommends.

On Planet, storm season isn’t just surface degree. Scientists first described a space storm in 2021: It was a cyclone-shaped aurora, swirling for hours near Planet’s north magnetic pole and drizzling down electrons, instead than water, into the top atmosphere.

An analysis of satellite information accumulated from 2005 to 2016 recognized 259 area cyclone occasions in the Southern Hemisphere’s ionosphere, room physicist Sheng Lu of Shandong University in Weihai, China, and associates report June 25 in the Journal of Geophysical Study: Area Physics. That’s about 23 events each year usually, which is close to the rate that was previously approximated for the Northern Hemisphere. The group recognized other symmetries too. For instance, area storms in both hemispheres tend to happen in summertime.

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In the world, typhoon period isn’t simply surface level. The ionosphere, a top layer of the atmosphere billed by solar radiation, also has swirling tornados of plasma dubbed “area hurricanes.” Researchers first explained a room hurricane in 2021: It was a cyclone-shaped aurora, swirling for hours near Earth’s north magnetic post and raining down electrons, as opposed to water, right into the upper atmosphere.