TIDE recently confirmed that plasmas in the tail of the magnetosphere come from Earth's outer atmosphere being warmed by a flow of materials from space. The magnetosphere is formed by the Earth's magnetic field and buffers the planet from the constant wind of gases streaming from the sun. Pictures from the UVI will help scientists decide whether the magnetosphere is driven directly by the solar wind, or it stores then discharges energy like a thunder cloud building a lightning charge. Doing this has been a challenge because the atmosphere's ozone layer reflects solar ultraviolet light that blinds most sensors.
Previous instruments let scientists see parts of the daytime aurora, or the entire nightside auora.
UVI aboard Polar is the first to show all of both day and nightside auroras. In addition to striking pictures, UVI reveals the footprint of the Earth's magnetic field lines that may stretch into deep space to several times the distance from Earth to Moon. More Headlines return to Space Sciences Laboratory Home Thanks to Dr. John M. Horack and NASA for creating this resource which SpaceRef now archives. SpaceRef Interactive Inc. All rights reserved.