A little-known electrical phenomenon has a profound effect on our atmosphere. This field, called the electric dipole field, has finally been measured by scientists.
Thanks to a NASA rocket, the existence of this field was confirmed, and its essential role in the escape of the atmosphere over the poles was revealed.
The geographic North Pole as seen from the Endurance mission at A. to rise 477 miles (768 km) above sea levelNorth PoleThe faint red and green lines at the top of the image are lens artifacts.
Credit: NASA
This electric field was discovered using the Endurance mission, and could be as fundamental as gravity or gravitational field. Magnetism We have planet.directly affects the car exhaustEarth's atmosphere Above the poles. This mechanism will allow us to better understand the evolution of our society. ionosphereSince the 1960s, scientists have suspected the existence of such a field. They have observed a mysterious “polar wind,” a flow of particles leaving Earth’s atmosphere, without apparent heat, at speeds faster than the speed of sound. To explain its origin, a weak but large-scale electric field has been hypothesized.
Attempts to detect this field have, until now, been impossible with the available tools. It was only in 2016 that Glenn Collinson's team at NASA's Goddard Space Center developed a device capable of detecting this field.
On May 11, 2022, the Endurance mission launched from Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago near the North Pole. At its peak, 768 kilometers, it captured a potential difference of just 0.55 volts. Still, this weak field is enough to explain the polar winds.
Hydrogen ions, the lightest and most abundant in this wind, are propelled at supersonic speeds, defying Earth's gravity. This field also increases the density of the ionosphere to much greater heights than it would be without it.
These discoveries open new avenues for exploring the evolution of the atmosphere not only on Earth but also on other planets. A similar field could exist on Mars and Venus, affecting their atmospheres in a similar way.
What is the ionosphere?
The ionosphere is a layer of the Earth's atmosphere located between 60 and 1,000 kilometers above sea level. It is composed of ionized particles, that is, electrically charged molecules and atoms. These particles are created mainly by the action of Solar radiation Which strips electrons from air molecules.
This layer plays a crucial role in the transmission of radio waves, as it can reflect signals, allowing them to propagate over long distances. In addition, the ionosphere protects the Earth from harmful solar radiation by absorbing some of the ultraviolet and X-ray radiation.
The ionosphere is also the scene of spectacular phenomena such as the aurora borealis, which results from the interaction between charged particles of the solar wind and those in the ionosphere, producing colorful lights in the skies over the polar regions.
