Giant veil of "cold plasma" discovered high above earth

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Bericht 27-01-'12, 10:41

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Giant veil of "cold plasma" discovered high above earth

Giant Veil of "Cold Plasma" Discovered High Above Earth


Clouds of "cold plasma" reach from the top of Earth's atmosphere to at least a quarter the distance to the moon, according to new data from a cluster of European satellites.


Earth generates cold plasma—slow-moving charged particles—at the edge of space, where sunlight strips electrons from gas atoms, leaving only their positively charged cores, or nuclei.


(Find out how cold plasma might also help explain why Mars is missing its atmosphere.)


Researchers had suspected these hard-to-detect particles might influence incoming space weather, such as this week's solar flare and resulting geomagnetic storm. That's because solar storms barrage Earth with similar but high-speed charged particles.


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Lees verder:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/20...-space-science/

Bron: National Geographic
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