All articles tagged with #charged particles
Scientists predict that the Europa Clipper spacecraft may soon detect charged particles from the ion tail of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS during a specific alignment between Oct. 30 and Nov. 6, offering a rare opportunity to study material from beyond our solar system, though this depends on the resolution of ongoing US government shutdown issues.
NASA's Voyager spacecraft confirmed the existence of a charged particle firewall at the edge of the solar system, which acts as a protective barrier deflecting cosmic rays and marking the boundary of the Sun's influence, providing insights into space weather and planetary habitability.
Astronomers have observed Uranus' infrared aurora for the first time using archived data from the Keck II telescope. Similar to Earth's auroras, Uranus' auroras are caused by charged particles interacting with the planet's magnetic field. Unlike Earth, Uranus' auroras predominantly emit ultraviolet and infrared light due to the presence of hydrogen and helium in its atmosphere. The discovery could provide insights into the planet's temperature and the misalignment of its magnetic field with its rotational axis.
Scientists have observed a "superflare" from a star system in the Orion constellation, which is 10 times more massive than anything ever witnessed erupting from the sun. The superflare may be accompanied by enormous eruptions of charged particles that could devastate life on any planets in their firing line. The researchers studied the distant star system in multiple wavelengths of light to capture the most complete picture possible of the superflare's evolution. The discovery is a caveat in the search for life on other worlds: planets around magnetically hyper star systems like V1355 Orionis may not be the best places to look.