Earth's Magnetic Field Ringing Like a Bell ~ SpaceWeather.com ~ 23 February 2018

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EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELD RINGING LIKE A BELL

Yesterday, a solar wind stream grazed Earth's magnetic field. Keyword: graze. The off-center impact of the solar wind caused something unusual to happen. Earth's polar magnetic field rang like a bell. Rob Stammes recorded the phenomenon from his magnetic observatory in Lofoton, Norway.

"On Feb. 22nd, the magnetic field around our observatory (as measured by ground currents) was swinging back an forth with a 100 second period," says Stammes. "This very stable oscillation went on for more than an hour."

Researchers call these pure ultra-low frequency oscillations "pulsations continuous" (Pc). Pc waves energize particles in Earth's inner magnetosphere because they resonate with the natural motion of particles around the geomagnetic field. This energy, in turn, can supercharge the aurora borealis.

Indeed, hours after the Pc waves were observed, auroras exploded over Arctic Scandinavia.

The effect of the solar wind stream may be likened to a person blowing across the top of a soda bottle, the glancing breath producing a nearly monochromatic waveform. "This is quite rare," says Stammes. "Pulsating continuous signals like these are visible only 2 or 3 times a year."

Source: SpaceWeather.com
Gefunden bei: http://theearthplan.blogspot.com/2018/02/earths-magnetic-field-ringing-like-bell.html