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Satellite Quintet Catches Earths Magnetic Field Oscillating
Graz Austria (SPX) Mar 30, 2006 Five spacecraft from two ESA missions simultaneously encountered large oscillations in Earth's magnetic field as they traveled around the planet's night side on Aug. 5, 2004. According to a statement about the incident just released by the space agency, the cause of the phenomenon observed by the spacecraft remains unknown, but scientists are hopeful the data eventually will provide important clues about the effects of space weather. At about 15:30 Central European Time on that date, something set the trailing edge of Earth's magnetosphere quivering. "It was like the waves created by a boat traveling across a lake," said lead researcher Tielong Zhang of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. The spacecraft catching the event included the four units of ESA's Cluster mission ' the first unit of the joint ESA-China National Space Administration mission called Double Star TC-1. The Cluster quartet flies in formation, passing through Earth's magnetotail at distances between 16 times ' 19 times the planet's radius. TC-1 orbits at between 10 ' 13 Earth radii. All five spacecraft are designed to collect data on the magnetosphere, which is generated deep inside the planet ' flows out into space, where it constantly interacts with the solar wind, a perpetual stream of electrically charged particles released by the Sun. Scientists think the wake-like oscillations the satellites found could be caused by the fast flow of particles often observed in the central part of the magnetotail. The problem is, the night of the discovery, something was pushing the waves from the center of the tail to its outer edges. Readings by the Cluster ' Double Star satellites showed oscillations taking place simultaneously across an area over 30,000 kilometers (18,750 miles) in length. This is the first time the extent of the oscillations has been revealed. Previous Cluster measurements, before the launch of Double Star, could track the movement only across the area surrounded by the four satellites. "By studying the August oscillations, we may be able to develop a unifying theory for all the various motions of the magnetotail," said Zhang, whose team continues to investigate what happened that day. Related Links Cluster Double Star China National Space Administration ESA
Why Is The Suns Corona Hotter Than The Sun Itself
Kastellorizo, Greece (SPX) Mar 30, 2006Scientists from around the world joined this Greek island's 250 residents and countless visitors Wednesday in cheering the drama of the Moon totally blocking the Sun, revealing the dancing glow of its corona. |
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