Earth’s magnetic field ‘vibrates like a drum’ when hit by plasma, satellite data suggests

They say in space no-one can hear you scream, but it seems you can hear the boom of Earth’s magnetic shield when it is hit by jets of plasma spewed from the Sun, a new study has found.

Analysis of decade-old data from NASA’s five THEMIS satellites has provided the first direct evidence that the edge of the magnetosphere vibrates like a drum, according to a study published in Nature Communications.

Key points:

Scientists say they have confirmed a 45-year-old hypothesis that suggests Earth’s magnetic field oscillates like a drum Data from a string of satellites detected a jet of plasma hitting the edge of the magnetic field But more observations by spacecraft and ground stations are needed

more…

Tau.Neutrino said:

Earth’s magnetic field ‘vibrates like a drum’ when hit by plasma, satellite data suggests

They say in space no-one can hear you scream, but it seems you can hear the boom of Earth’s magnetic shield when it is hit by jets of plasma spewed from the Sun, a new study has found.

Analysis of decade-old data from NASA’s five THEMIS satellites has provided the first direct evidence that the edge of the magnetosphere vibrates like a drum, according to a study published in Nature Communications.

Key points:

Scientists say they have confirmed a 45-year-old hypothesis that suggests Earth’s magnetic field oscillates like a drum Data from a string of satellites detected a jet of plasma hitting the edge of the magnetic field But more observations by spacecraft and ground stations are needed

more…

That’s a good read, thanks. Themis satellites. Decades old data. All lined up so multiple satellites detected vibrations at the same time. Low frequency. Alternative is Kelvin-Helmholtz. Animation. All good.

I like to think of these plasma waves as being the lower end of the electromagnetic spectrum, with a longer period and larger spacial size than the longest radio waves.