Earth's Magnetism In Action
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- Visualizations by:
- Brian Monroe and
- Tom Bridgman
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- Written by:
- Karen Fox
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- Edited by:
- Genna Duberstein
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- Produced by:
- Genna Duberstein
- View full credits
The environment around Earth overflows with energy and a complex system of magnetic fields that trap electrons and other charged particles. When these fields collide and realign—a process called magnetic reconnection—it can be hugely explosive, sending particles hurtling off at near the speed of light. Magnetic reconnection powers a wide variety of events in space, from giant explosions on the sun to auroras in the night sky. But until recently, we have never been able to witness this phenomenon directly. That all changed on October 16, 2015, when four spacecraft of NASA’s MMS mission made the first observations of a magnetic reconnection event while orbiting our planet. The data collected by the spacecraft allowed scientists to track better than ever before how the magnetic fields changed, as well as the speeds and direction of the various charged particles. The findings will help protect spacecraft and astronauts from the potential damages of space travel. Watch the video to learn more.
For More Information
See NASA.gov
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
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Animators
- Brian Monroe (USRA) [Lead]
- Tom Bridgman (Global Science and Technology, Inc.) [Lead]
- Walt Feimer (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
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Writer
- Karen Fox (ADNET Systems, Inc.) [Lead]
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Video editor
- Genna Duberstein (ADNET Systems, Inc.) [Lead]
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Scientists
- Jim Burch (SwRI)
- Paul Cassak (West Virginia University)
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Producer
- Genna Duberstein (ADNET Systems, Inc.) [Lead]
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