First Ever Space Hurricane Spotted in Earth’s Upper Atmosphere
The 600-mile-wide swirling cloud of charged particles rained down electrons from several hundred miles above the North Pole
Alex Fox
Correspondent
March 5, 2021
An illustration based on the satellite observation data from the first confirmed instance of a space hurricane. Qing-He Zhang, Shandong University
Researchers have used satellite observations to identify what they’re calling a “space hurricane” in Earth’s upper atmosphere, Nature reports. The results, published last month in the journal Nature Communications, represent the first time a space hurricane has ever been detected over our planet.
The team spotted the churning mass of charged particles—ionized gas called plasma—hovering several hundred miles above the North Pole during a retrospective analysis of data collected in August 2014, reports Doyle Rice for USA Today.
“Until now, it was uncertain that space plasma hurricanes even existed, so to prove this with such a striking observation is incredible,” Mike Lockwood, an astrophysicist at the University of Reading and co-author of the paper, in a statement.
The space hurricane described in the paper measured roughly 600 miles across and rained down charged electrons instead of water for nearly eight hours as it spun counter-clockwise at speeds up to 4,700 miles-per-hour, per the paper.
More:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/first-ever-space-hurricane-spotted-earths-upper-atmosphere-180977176/
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'Space hurricane' that rained electrons observed for the first time
The spiral-armed storm swirled roughly 125 miles over the North Pole, churning in place for almost eight hours.
March 4, 2021, 1:46 PM CST / Updated March 4, 2021, 3:42 PM CST
By Denise Chow
When it comes to extreme weather, it's safe to say a "space hurricane" qualifies.
Scientists said last week they observed a previously unknown phenomenon — a 620-mile-wide swirling mass of plasma that roiled for hours in Earth's upper atmosphere, raining electrons instead of water.
The researchers labeled the disturbance a space hurricane because it resembled and behaved like the rotating storm systems that routinely batter coastlines around the world. But until now, they were not known to exist.
"It really wasn't expected," said Larry Lyons, a professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences at the University f California, Los Angeles. "It wasn't even theoretically known."
More:
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/space-hurricane-rained-electrons-observed-first-time-rcna328
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