ESA Portal - ESA’s Cluster flies through Earth’s electrical switch

Media Centre

Press Releases ESA Television Launch Media Corner Exhibitions

Services

Calendar Publications Frequently asked questions ESA-sponsored Conferences Help Site Credits Portal terms of use Comments Subscribe

ESA’s Cluster flies through Earth’s electrical switch

19 May 2006

Back to article

Download:

HI-RES JPG (Size: 651 kb)

This sketch shows the various regions of Earth’s magnetosphere, being investigated by ESA’s Cluster mission. The position of the four satellites of the Cluster fleet is indicated by the red circle.

Credits: ESA

Back to article

Download:

HI-RES GIF (Size: 35 kb)

This sketch shows a so-called electron diffusion region. It is a boundary just a few kilometres thick that occurs at an altitude of approximately 60000 kilometres above the Earth’s surface, where electrons can be accelerated to approximately one hundredth the speed of light. On 25 January 2005, and for nineteen times in one hour, the Cluster quartet found themselves engulfed in an electron diffusion region.

Credits: F.Mozer/UC Berkeley, USA

Back to article

Schematic of magnetic field lines during reconnection

Download:

HI-RES GIF (Size: 622 kb)

In a plasma (a gas of charged particles), during magnetic reconnection, magnetic field lines of opposite direction break and then reconnect, forming an X-line magnetic topology. The newly reconnected field lines accelerate the plasma away from the X-line.

Credits: Center for Visual computing, Univ. of California Riverside

Back to article

On 28 October 2003, the Sun released a coronal mass ejection of immense proportions which travelled in the direction of Earth. Bigger than the Sun itself, it hurtled towards Earth at a speed of over 2000 kilometres per second - five times the normal speed.

More about...

Magnetic reconnection Cluster factsheet

Cluster helps to protect astronauts and satellites against 'killer electrons'Satellites see largest jet of particles created between Sun and Earth Cluster helps to protect astronauts and satellites against 'killer electrons'From ‘macro’ to ‘micro’ – turbulence seen by Cluster Cluster's new view of near-Earth space How the Sun affects us on Earth Space weather What are solar flares?Click here for a video of a 'Solar tantrum'