Researchers have detected fluctuations in Earth's magnetosphere created by the same tidal forces that the moon exerts on the oceans.
The moon exerts a previously unknown tidal force on the"plasma ocean" surrounding Earth's upper atmosphere, creating fluctuations that are similar to the tides in the oceans, a new study suggests.
The plasmasphere is a roughly doughnut-shaped blob of cool plasma that sits on top of Earth's magnetic field lines, just above the ionosphere, the electrically charged part of the upper atmosphere. The plasma, or ionized gas, in the plasmasphere is denser than the plasma in the outer regions of the magnetosphere, which causes it to sink to the bottom of the magnetosphere. The boundary between this dense sunken plasma and the rest of the magnetosphere is known as the plasmapause.
To investigate this question, the researchers analyzed data from more than 50,000 crossings of the plasmasphere by satellites belonging to 10 scientific missions, including NASA's Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms mission. The satellites' sensors are capable of detecting minute changes in the concentrations of plasma, which allowed the team to map out the exact boundary of the plasmapause in greater detail than ever before.
The researchers are unsure exactly how the moon causes the plasma tides, but their current best guess is that the moon's gravity causes perturbations in Earth's electromagnetic field. But further research is needed to tell for sure.Related stories—Mars may be slowly ripping its largest moon apart—Ferris-wheel-size chunk of the moon is orbiting suspiciously close to Earth
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