IMAGE
Discoveries
Discoveries
IMAGE Sees Surprising Shapes in the Plasmasphere | |
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During the magnetic storms of 24 May 2000 and 29 July 2000 the IMAGE satellite saw long tails of plasma forming in the plasmasphere. Space scientists had predicted that these features would exist over 20 years ago. The dramatic movies created by IMAGE showed scientists for the first time that these shapes really did exist after all. (2001: J. L. Burch, D. G. Mitchell, B. R. Sandel, P. C. Brandt, and M. Wuest)
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| Plasmasphere - The region of Earth's upper atmosphere located from 200 miles to about 10,000 miles above the surface containing low-density gas trapped by Earth's magnetic field. [more] | Magnetic Storm - A disturbance in Earth's magnetic field that can last from a few minutes to several days. Severe storms can cause compass needles to give the wrong navigation bearings. |
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