Tag: Earth’s magnetic field
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Winners of the 2026 RAS Awards Revealed: Groundbreaking Pulsar Discoveries and Magnetic Field Geophysics Honored
Celebrating Pioneering Minds: 2026 RAS Award Winners The Royal Astronomical Society has announced the winners of its prestigious 2026 prizes, recognizing two researchers whose work spans the most extreme corners of the cosmos and the dynamic geophysics of our own planet. One recipient is famed for transformative discoveries in millisecond pulsars, gamma-ray bursts, and supernovae.…
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Groundbreaking Winners Announced for the 2026 Royal Astronomical Society Awards
The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) has revealed its winners for the 2026 awards, celebrating outstanding achievements across astronomy, astrophysics, and related disciplines. This year’s recipients highlight the breadth and depth of modern space science, from the tiniest neutron stars to the dynamic field of geophysics. Here, we profile the two laureates whose work has earned…
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Earth’s Core Unveiled: Seismic Clues Point to an Onion-like Inner Iron Layer
New Evidence Suggests an Onion-like Core Structure For decades, scientists have probed Earth’s interior with seismic waves that travel through the planet during earthquakes. A new wave of research synthesizes these signals to paint a surprising picture of the Earth’s core: the inner iron center may be layered in a way that resembles an onion…
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Solar Superstorm Gannon Crushes Earth’s Plasmasphere
What a Solar Superstorm Is and Why Gannon Matters A geomagnetic superstorm is among the most powerful space weather events, unleashed when the Sun ejects colossal bursts of energy and charged particles toward Earth. Although rare, these events can dramatically alter our near-space environment, disrupt satellite operations, and create dazzling auroras at lower latitudes. The…
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Earth’s Magnetic Heartbeat Reverses: Scientists Uncover a Surprising Twist
New Findings Shake Long-Standing Beliefs About Earth’s Magnetic Field Scientists studying Earth’s magnetic field have reported a surprising twist: the electric heartbeat that powers our planet’s magnetosphere appears to flow in the opposite direction from what long-standing models predicted. This discovery challenges traditional ideas about how the geodynamo—the natural convection currents in the molten iron…
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Electric Heartbeat Reverses Course: A Surprising Twist in Earth’s Magnetic Field
New Findings Upend Long-Standing Assumptions For decades, scientists have described Earth’s magnetic field as a dynamic shield generated by the liquid iron in our planet’s outer core. A recent study, however, suggests that the field’s electric heartbeat—the flow of magnetic energy within the core—travels in the opposite direction to what traditional models predicted. This reversal…
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Scientists find a surprising twist in Earth’s magnetic field
New findings overturn long-held assumptions about the geodynamo In a striking turn for geophysics, researchers have observed that Earth’s magnetic field is powered by an electric heartbeat that appears to flow in the opposite direction from what traditional models have long predicted. The discovery, based on a combination of satellite data, ocean floor measurements, and…
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Could the South Atlantic Anomaly Spell Doom for Life on Earth?
Understanding the South Atlantic Anomaly The South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) is a region where Earth’s inner Van Allen radiation belt sags closer to the planet’s surface. This results from a global magnetic field that is both uneven and dynamic. While the SAA often makes technicians and travelers worry, it is essential to separate myth from…
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Could the South Atlantic Anomaly Bring Real Trouble for Life on Earth? Here’s What We Know
The South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) is a well-known quirk in Earth’s magnetic field. Stretching over parts of the Atlantic Ocean, parts of South America, and the Caribbean, this region is where the planet’s protective magnetic shield dips closest to the surface. Recent measurements have suggested the magnetic field is weakening in this area, prompting questions…
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Swarm Reveals Weak Spot in Earth’s Magnetic Field
Overview: A Growing Magnetic Weak Spot The European Space Agency’s Swarm mission has delivered a striking finding: the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA), a region where Earth’s magnetic field is unusually weak, has expanded by nearly half the size of continental Europe since 2014. Using 11 years of magnetic field measurements from the Swarm satellite trio,…