Magnetosphere
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Intense Solar Storm With Huge CMEs Forced Astronauts to Take Shelter on the ISS
A major solar storm in mid-November 2025 dazzled Earth with vivid auroras but forced astronauts on the ISS to take radiation precautions. Russian cosmonauts sheltered in the station’s heavily protected Destiny lab, while other crew members stayed in shielded quarters as controllers limited access to higher-risk modules during the event.
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ESCAPADE Mission: NASA To Send Twin Orbiters To Decode Mars' Magnetic Mysteries
The mission is scheduled to launch on November 9, aboard Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
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Scientists Stunned as Earth’s Magnetosphere Shows Reversed Electric Charge Patterns
Scientists have discovered that Earth’s morning-side magnetosphere is negatively charged, overturning decades of assumptions about space electricity. Satellite data and simulations show the charge pattern flips near the equator but remains traditional at the poles. The breakthrough reshapes understanding of space weather and may also clarify elec...
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NASA’s Juno Spacecraft Detects Callisto’s Aurora, Completing Jupiter’s Galilean Moons Set
NASA’s Juno spacecraft has captured Callisto’s elusive auroral footprint, completing the “family portrait” of Jupiter’s Galilean moons. Each moon carves its own aurora into the gas giant’s poles, revealing how they interact with Jupiter’s powerful magnetosphere. Callisto’s faint arc appeared during a 2019 flyby, finally confirming i...
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NASA's TRACERS Satellites Begin Solar Wind Study Despite SV1 Glitch
NASA launched its twin TRACERS satellites on July 23, 2025, to study how solar wind causes magnetic reconnection in Earth's magnetosphere. However, a power issue on one spacecraft, SV1, has caused intermittent communication. Engineers believe the issue relates to sunlight availability on its solar panels and plan recovery efforts in August. Meanwhi...
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NASA’s TRACERS Mission Successfully Launches to Explore Earth’s Magnetic Field and Solar Wind Interactions
NASA's latest launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base saw the TRACERS mission successfully lift off, one day after a delay due to FAA airspace restrictions. The mission promises valuable insights into solar wind interactions and space weather impacts.
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NASA’s Twin TRACERS Satellites Will Monitor Space Weather to Shield Earth from Solar Storms
NASA’s TRACERS satellites will fly in tandem through Earth’s polar cusps to study magnetic storms and solar wind effects. The mission aims to improve predictions of space weather events that threaten satellites, power grids, and astronauts, offering new insight into magnetic reconnection and helping protect vital systems from the hazards of int...
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NASA's TRACERS Mission Rescheduled for 2025 to Explore Solar Wind and Earth's Magnetic Field
NASA has delayed its TRACERS mission to no earlier than 2025 to provide additional preparation time for the crew. The mission will send twin satellites to explore how solar wind interacts with Earth's magnetosphere, particularly through a process called magnetic reconnection. These high-speed solar particles can trigger auroras and impact satellite...
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NASA’s EZIE Satellites Begin Mission to Study Auroral Electrojets and Space Weather
NASA’s Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer (EZIE) mission has been launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The trio of small satellites will map auroral electrojets, powerful currents in Earth’s atmosphere linked to solar storms. Their data will enhance space weather prediction models and help understand planetary mag...
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NASA's MMS Mission Marks 10 Years of Magnetic Reconnection Discoveries
NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission has completed a decade of discoveries, advancing the study of magnetic reconnection—a crucial process in space physics. The four-satellite fleet has enabled over 1,500 research papers, refining theories and revealing unexpected reconnection locations. The mission has also set records for GPS tracking...
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FAST Telescope Reveals Emission Properties of Three Long-Period Pulsars in New Study
The FAST telescope has observed emission behaviours in three long-period pulsars, revealing null phases, asymmetric pulses, and microstructures. The study highlights variations in pulsar emissions and their periodicity, contributing to a deeper understanding of neutron star radio emissions. Researchers noted different nulling fractions and microstr...
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May 2024 Solar Storm Triggers Unusual Radiation Belts, Raising Space Safety Concerns
A significant solar storm in May 2024 led to the creation of two temporary radiation belts, detected by the CIRBE satellite in June. One belt contained high-energy electrons, while the other was rich in protons, a rare occurrence. While the electron belt dissipated in three months, the proton-dominated belt remains, potentially affecting space miss...
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Massive Coronal Hole on Sun Sends High-Speed Solar Wind Toward Earth
A giant 800,000 km coronal hole on the Sun is unleashing high-speed solar wind toward Earth, potentially triggering a G1 geomagnetic storm on January 31 and February 1. The NOAA has issued a watch, predicting enhanced auroras in higher latitudes. While G1 storms are minor, they can impact satellites and power grids. The storm’s intensity remains ...
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Chorus Waves Found Far From Earth Raise Concerns for Space Exploration
Chorus waves, energetic electromagnetic bursts resembling bird chirps, have been detected 100,000 miles from Earth, far beyond their usual range. NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale satellites observed these waves in a flatter region of Earth's magnetosphere, contradicting prior assumptions about their formation near strong magnetic gradients. The wav...
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NASA Rockets Set to Journey Through Flickering, Disappearing Auroras
NASA is set to launch two groundbreaking rocket missions in January 2025 to unravel the mysteries of auroras. The GIRAFF mission will study fast-pulsating and flickering auroras, while the Black and Diffuse Aurora Science Surveyor mission will focus on dark auroral patches or "black auroras." By using advanced instruments to measure electron activi...
-
Intense Solar Storm With Huge CMEs Forced Astronauts to Take Shelter on the ISS
A major solar storm in mid-November 2025 dazzled Earth with vivid auroras but forced astronauts on the ISS to take radiation precautions. Russian cosmonauts sheltered in the station’s heavily protected Destiny lab, while other crew members stayed in shielded quarters as controllers limited access to higher-risk modules during the event.
-
ESCAPADE Mission: NASA To Send Twin Orbiters To Decode Mars' Magnetic Mysteries
The mission is scheduled to launch on November 9, aboard Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
-
Scientists Stunned as Earth’s Magnetosphere Shows Reversed Electric Charge Patterns
Scientists have discovered that Earth’s morning-side magnetosphere is negatively charged, overturning decades of assumptions about space electricity. Satellite data and simulations show the charge pattern flips near the equator but remains traditional at the poles. The breakthrough reshapes understanding of space weather and may also clarify elec...
-
NASA’s Juno Spacecraft Detects Callisto’s Aurora, Completing Jupiter’s Galilean Moons Set
NASA’s Juno spacecraft has captured Callisto’s elusive auroral footprint, completing the “family portrait” of Jupiter’s Galilean moons. Each moon carves its own aurora into the gas giant’s poles, revealing how they interact with Jupiter’s powerful magnetosphere. Callisto’s faint arc appeared during a 2019 flyby, finally confirming i...
-
NASA's TRACERS Satellites Begin Solar Wind Study Despite SV1 Glitch
NASA launched its twin TRACERS satellites on July 23, 2025, to study how solar wind causes magnetic reconnection in Earth's magnetosphere. However, a power issue on one spacecraft, SV1, has caused intermittent communication. Engineers believe the issue relates to sunlight availability on its solar panels and plan recovery efforts in August. Meanwhi...
-
NASA’s TRACERS Mission Successfully Launches to Explore Earth’s Magnetic Field and Solar Wind Interactions
NASA's latest launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base saw the TRACERS mission successfully lift off, one day after a delay due to FAA airspace restrictions. The mission promises valuable insights into solar wind interactions and space weather impacts.
-
NASA’s Twin TRACERS Satellites Will Monitor Space Weather to Shield Earth from Solar Storms
NASA’s TRACERS satellites will fly in tandem through Earth’s polar cusps to study magnetic storms and solar wind effects. The mission aims to improve predictions of space weather events that threaten satellites, power grids, and astronauts, offering new insight into magnetic reconnection and helping protect vital systems from the hazards of int...
-
NASA's TRACERS Mission Rescheduled for 2025 to Explore Solar Wind and Earth's Magnetic Field
NASA has delayed its TRACERS mission to no earlier than 2025 to provide additional preparation time for the crew. The mission will send twin satellites to explore how solar wind interacts with Earth's magnetosphere, particularly through a process called magnetic reconnection. These high-speed solar particles can trigger auroras and impact satellite...
-
NASA’s EZIE Satellites Begin Mission to Study Auroral Electrojets and Space Weather
NASA’s Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer (EZIE) mission has been launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The trio of small satellites will map auroral electrojets, powerful currents in Earth’s atmosphere linked to solar storms. Their data will enhance space weather prediction models and help understand planetary mag...
-
NASA's MMS Mission Marks 10 Years of Magnetic Reconnection Discoveries
NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission has completed a decade of discoveries, advancing the study of magnetic reconnection—a crucial process in space physics. The four-satellite fleet has enabled over 1,500 research papers, refining theories and revealing unexpected reconnection locations. The mission has also set records for GPS tracking...
-
FAST Telescope Reveals Emission Properties of Three Long-Period Pulsars in New Study
The FAST telescope has observed emission behaviours in three long-period pulsars, revealing null phases, asymmetric pulses, and microstructures. The study highlights variations in pulsar emissions and their periodicity, contributing to a deeper understanding of neutron star radio emissions. Researchers noted different nulling fractions and microstr...
-
May 2024 Solar Storm Triggers Unusual Radiation Belts, Raising Space Safety Concerns
A significant solar storm in May 2024 led to the creation of two temporary radiation belts, detected by the CIRBE satellite in June. One belt contained high-energy electrons, while the other was rich in protons, a rare occurrence. While the electron belt dissipated in three months, the proton-dominated belt remains, potentially affecting space miss...
-
Massive Coronal Hole on Sun Sends High-Speed Solar Wind Toward Earth
A giant 800,000 km coronal hole on the Sun is unleashing high-speed solar wind toward Earth, potentially triggering a G1 geomagnetic storm on January 31 and February 1. The NOAA has issued a watch, predicting enhanced auroras in higher latitudes. While G1 storms are minor, they can impact satellites and power grids. The storm’s intensity remains ...
-
Chorus Waves Found Far From Earth Raise Concerns for Space Exploration
Chorus waves, energetic electromagnetic bursts resembling bird chirps, have been detected 100,000 miles from Earth, far beyond their usual range. NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale satellites observed these waves in a flatter region of Earth's magnetosphere, contradicting prior assumptions about their formation near strong magnetic gradients. The wav...
-
NASA Rockets Set to Journey Through Flickering, Disappearing Auroras
NASA is set to launch two groundbreaking rocket missions in January 2025 to unravel the mysteries of auroras. The GIRAFF mission will study fast-pulsating and flickering auroras, while the Black and Diffuse Aurora Science Surveyor mission will focus on dark auroral patches or "black auroras." By using advanced instruments to measure electron activi...
