THE CUSP! NASA discovered two holes in Earth's magnetosphere! "Portals" to near-Earth space!
Channel: ADP productions
Date: 2020-07-19

The polar cusps are essentially two holes in our magnetosphere. Here, Earth’s magnetic field lines funnel the solar wind downwards, concentrating its energy before injecting it into Earth’s atmosphere, where it mixes and collides with particles of Earthly origin.
 It’s one of only two places on Earth where particles from the Sun have direct access to Earth’s atmosphere — and the familiar laws of terrestrial physics can take a strange turn. The cusp is our closest portal to near-Earth space, a region that is increasingly part of the human domain, home not only to astronauts but also communications and GPS signals that can affect those of us on the ground on a daily basis.
Over the next 14 months, NASA scientists will join a group of international researchers to explore the northern polar cusp. Beside the emblems of their respective countries, these researchers will fly a united flag bearing the name of their endeavor: The Grand Challenge Initiative – Cusp, an international collaboration to explore the region where Earth meets space.
Below is a brief overview of the campaign, from the mysteries of the cusp to the cutting-edge missions that will study them.
What is the polar cusp?
Earth is surrounded by a giant magnetic bubble known as a magnetosphere, created by the churning of liquid iron in our planet’s outer core. Our magnetosphere protects us from many of the most dangerous denizens of the space environment, including the hot, electrically charged stream of particles known as the solar wind. Fortunately, our magnetic bubble keeps most of these solar wind particles at bay — but not all.

Music credit: “Journey to the Past”, “New Philosopher”, “Curiosity Cabinet”, “Buzzing Culture”, “Dusk Theories”, “At the Edge of the End” by Laurent Dury [SACEM]; “Strong Voices” by Tom Caffey [ASCAP]; “The Fortune Teller” by Phil Stevens [PRS]; “Shinobi’s Fight” by Benoit Malis [SACEM]; “Spring into Life” by Oliver Worth [PRS]

Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Interviewees:
Douglas E. Rowland (NASA/GSFC)
Jøran Idar Moen (University of Oslo)
Preben Hanssen (Andøya Space Center)
Kjellmar Oksavik (University of Bergen/University Centre in Svalbard)
Fred Sigernes (Kjell Henriksen Observatory, University Centre in Svalbard)
Sophia Zaccarine (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University)
Glenn Maxfield (ASRC Federal Space and Defense)
John C. Hickman (NASA/WFF)
Producers:
Joy Ng (USRA)
Miles S. Hatfield (Telophase)
Animators:
Bailee DesRocher (USRA)
Josh Masters (Freelance)
Joy Ng (USRA)
Scientists:
Robert Pfaff (NASA/GSFC)
Sarah L. Jones (NASA/GSFC)
Michael Collier (NASA/GSFC)
Jason McLain (University of Maryland, College Park)
Andres Spicher (University of Oslo)
Ruth Lieberman (NASA/GSFC)
Cinematographers:
Joy Ng (USRA)
Miles S. Hatfield (Telophase)
Patrick Black (NASA/GSFC Wallops)
Trond Abrahamsen (Andøya Space Center)

This video is public domain and along with other supporting visualizations can be downloaded from the Scientific Visualization Studio at: http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13430

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