Invisible magnetic explosions happen around the Earth, on the surface of the sun and across the universe. The explosions are known as a magnetic reconnection that occurs when the magnetic field lines cross and release the stored magnetic energy.
The explosion plays an important role for the clouds of charged particles or plasmas that are accelerated around the universe. As for the Earth's magnetosphere, the magnetic reconnections can cast the charged particles towards the Earth and it could trigger the auroras.
In addition, the magnetic reconnection helps by pushing around the clouds of plasma to convert some magnetic energy into heat. Also, it has an impact on how much energy is left over to move the particles through space.
In the recent study, with the use of the NASA's Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence, and Electrodynamics of the Moon's Interaction with the Sun or ARTEMIS, found that in the long tail of the nighttime magnetosphere, that extends away from the sun and the Earth, most of the energy are turned into heat. It means that the exhaust flows have lesser energy that is available to accelerate charged particles than the scientists have previously thought, according to Phys.org.
It has been previously known the when the magnetic reconnection happens between two clouds of plasma that obtains the same density; it causes a wildly unstable exhaust flow. However, the new results suggest that if the two plasmas have a different density, the exhaust is stable and will eject a constant smooth jet.
In line, the differences in the density are produced by the interplay of the solar wind and the interplanetary magnetic field. It then stretches across the solar system.
NASA reported that the new findings are a gateway to understanding more on how the magnetic reconnection can send the particles zooming toward the Earth. It then can initiate the auroras and causes space weather. Also, such information gives fundamental information about what drives the movement in space throughout the universe, far beyond the near-Earth space that the researchers can observe more easily.
