Tag

Magnetic Field

All articles tagged with #magnetic field

space19 days ago•4 min saved

Direct Radio Signal From an Exoplanet Unveils Its Magnetic Field

Astronomers using the MeerKAT array detected short, highly circularly polarized radio bursts from exoplanet Beta Pictoris b, marking the first time a radio signal has been unambiguously localized to an exoplanet. The emission matches auroral processes (ECMI) and implies a very strong magnetic field—thousands of times stronger than Earth's—likely powered by rapid rotation, with plans to study more giant exoplanets as next‑gen radio observatories come online.

via ScienceAlert|

#auroras #beta-pictoris-b #exoplanets

science2 months ago•13 min saved

Runway Renumberings: How a Wandering Magnetic North Rewrites Global Airports

Earth’s magnetic north drifts as molten iron in the outer core moves, changing the magnetic bearing used to label runways. When the drift shifts bearings by about 3–4 degrees, airports must repaint runways, replace signage, and renumber designations, a process seen at Tampa, Fairbanks, London Stansted, and others. The changes are driven by updates to the World Magnetic Model and the planet’s ongoing core dynamics, even though passengers rarely notice the invisible pen-and-paint overhaul happening far below their flights.

via Space Daily|

#airports #aviation #geophysics

astronomy2 months ago•104 min saved

LOFAR maps the magnetic backbone of a galaxy cluster for the first time

Using 224 hours of LOFAR radio observations, astronomers produced the deepest map yet of the galaxy cluster Abell 2255 and reconstructed its magnetic field from core to outskirts for the first time. The results show the magnetic field is shaped by gas motions during cluster formation, with field lines tracing extended radio emissions and showing tangential orientations in regions affected by shocks, providing new insight into how magnetic fields and the largest cosmic structures grow. The study is accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics and is available on arXiv.

via Space|

#abell-2255 #astronomy #galaxy-cluster

space2 months ago•11 min saved

Voyager 1’s interstellar entry reveals a porous, imperfect solar boundary

Voyager 1 crossed the heliopause into interstellar space in 2012–2013, but the boundary proved porous and layered rather than a clean edge, with a sharp drop in inner solar-wind particles while galactic cosmic rays rose and the magnetic field did not rotate as expected. The crossing was confirmed by plasma-density oscillations from a March 2012 coronal mass ejection, and Voyager 2 later crossed the boundary in a different region with similar results. The inner region remains poorly understood, and both spacecraft—now low on power—continue to return data as they drift through the outer reaches of the solar system.

via Space Daily|

#heliopause #interstellar-space #magnetic-field

science3 months ago•11 min saved

Ancient Jupiter was roughly twice as large with a 50× stronger magnetic field

A 2025 Nature Astronomy study using the orbits of Jovian moons Amalthea and Thebe suggests Jupiter was about 2–2.5× its current size and had a magnetic field roughly 50× stronger shortly after the solar system formed (about 3.8 million years in). The stronger early convection would have produced a much larger magnetosphere; the authors infer these conditions from angular-momentum constraints rather than modeling formation directly. The article notes that a separate, older estimate of Jupiter’s current contraction rate (~2 cm/year) exists but is not measured by this study. This finding provides a benchmark for constraining the solar system’s early history.

via Space Daily|

#amalthea #early-solar-system #jupiter

earth-science3 months ago•10 min saved

Pacific Core-Flow Reversal Signals a More Dynamic Geodynamo

A broad region of liquid iron beneath the equatorial Pacific flipped from westward to eastward flow around 2010, revealing the outer core can change circulation more abruptly than previously thought. Using nearly 30 years of data from ground observatories plus ESA Swarm, CryoSat, CHAMP and Ørsted satellites, researchers traced how this flow reversal reshapes our view of the geodynamo and Earth's magnetic field. The finding raises questions about core–mantle–inner-core interactions and whether such reversals are temporary fluctuations or part of a longer cycle, underscoring the need for ongoing monitoring.

via SciTechDaily|

#earth-science #geodynamo #magnetic-field

science3 months ago•12 min saved

Mars's Lost Dynamo: From a Wetter World to a Frozen Desert

Mars once had a global magnetic field strong enough to shield its atmosphere from the solar wind, but when the dynamo faded around four billion years ago the atmosphere and surface water were gradually stripped away by solar wind over hundreds of millions to billions of years, turning Mars from a possibly habitable world into the current cold desert; the loss was slow and interlinked with interior cooling and crustal water sequestration, with MAVEN confirming ongoing atmospheric loss today.

via Space Daily|

#atmosphere #dynamo #magnetic-field

science3 months ago•5 min saved

Graphene's layered superconductivity defies field norms, strengthens when pushed

MIT researchers report multiple superconducting states in rhombohedral graphene layers (4- and 5-layer stacks); notably, some states are enhanced by magnetic fields, raising the transition temperature from about 55 millikelvin to ~90 millikelvin and increasing the sustainable current by 50–60%, with the outcome depending on electron density and field orientation. This challenges the usual view that magnetic fields destroy superconductivity and may have implications for quantum computing, though experiments still require ultra-cold conditions and specialized setups.

via ScienceAlert|

#graphene #magnetic-field #quantum-computing

science3 months ago•11 min saved

Field-Driven Superconductivity Emerges Across Rhombohedral Graphene Stacks

Researchers report field-enhanced and field-induced superconductivity in rhombohedral tetralayer and pentalayer graphene, with three distinct superconducting states in the pentalayer that endure in-plane fields up to 8.5 tesla (well beyond the Pauli limit). Unlike Bernal bilayer graphene, the pentalayer also shows out-of-plane field effects, and the effects emerge at relatively low gate voltages due to flatter band dispersion. Proximitized spin–orbit coupling further yields new superconductors without adding disorder, establishing a new family of magnetic-field–boosted superconductors in high-quality rhombohedral graphene and opening paths toward realizing topological states and non-Abelian quasiparticles via interface engineering.

via Nature|

#graphene #magnetic-field #rhombohedral-graphene

science4 months ago•42 min saved

Exoplanet Magnetospheres Detected: A Magnetic Window Into Distant Worlds

Scientists using ESO's Very Large Telescope and Gemini North measured wind speeds on seven hot, Jupiter-like exoplanets and found patterns best explained by global magnetic fields, marking the first robust evidence of magnetospheres around worlds beyond our solar system. The inferred magnetic strengths are roughly four times Saturn’s and about half Jupiter’s. This breakthrough opens a new window for exoplanet research, suggesting magnetically driven aurorae and paving the way for future ELT observations to characterize smaller, potentially habitable worlds.

via Good News Network|

#eso #exoplanets #magnetic-field

space4 months ago•59 min saved

Seven Exoplanets Reveal Magnetic Fields, Extending the Hunt for Habitable Worlds

Astronomers directly measured magnetic fields on seven ultra-hot Jupiter exoplanets, finding fields of a few gauss that slow their winds—a first-of-its-kind result that informs exoplanet atmospheres, magnetic shielding, and the search for habitable worlds.

via Live Science|

#exoplanets #habitability #hot-jupiter

science4 months ago•40 min saved

Distant gas giants show signs of magnetic fields through extreme winds

Astronomers report that some hot Jupiter exoplanets exhibit atmospheric winds surpassing 15,000 mph, offering the first observational evidence that these distant gas giants host magnetic fields influencing their atmospheric dynamics.

via Yahoo|

#astronomy #atmospheric-winds #exoplanets

science4 months ago•33 min saved

Hot Jupiters Harbor Jovian-Strength Magnetic Fields, Study Finds

High-resolution transit spectroscopy of seven ultrahot Jupiters with MAROON-X and ESPRESSO measured planetary Fe I line Doppler shifts to infer wind speeds, revealing faster wind decay with higher equilibrium temperatures consistent with magnetic drag. From this trend, the study estimates magnetic field strengths for hot giant exoplanets of at most a few gauss, comparable to Jupiter’s field, supporting magnetic effects in atmospheric circulation and providing benchmarks for magnetic-field scaling laws across exoplanets.

via Nature|

#atmospheric-dynamics #exoplanets #magnetic-field

space4 months ago•11 min saved

Mars’ ancient warmth and the mystery of its missing air

Rocks show that early Mars hosted liquid water, but whether it was warm remains debated. The planetary dynamo likely died between about 4.2 and 3.7 billion years ago, removing the magnetic shield and enabling solar wind to strip gas—an escape process MAVEN measured, especially during solar storms. Some carbon dioxide may have been stored in minerals like siderite, so not all missing air left to space. The balance between atmospheric loss and crustal storage is still uncertain, and better palaeomagnetic dating and additional sampling are needed to pin down Mars’ climate history. The cold desert is settled, but the path to understanding how it happened is ongoing.

via Space Daily|

#atmosphere-loss #carbon-cycle #magnetic-field

science4 months ago•20 min saved

A Patch of Earth's Outer Core Reversed Its Flow in 2010

A section of Earth's molten outer core reversed its eastward flow in 2010, according to satellite measurements of the magnetic field reported by ScienceAlert; the finding suggests the planet's interior is more dynamic than previously thought and that bulk-flow changes can occur, though scientists are still investigating the cause and implications for the geodynamo.

via Slashdot|

#2010 #earth-core #geophysics