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Cluster sees tsunamis in space

12 April 2007

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The image to the left is the typical appearance of the aurora before a magnetic substorm. During a substorm, the single auroral ribbon may split into several ribbons (centre) or even break into clusters that race north and south (right).

Credits: Jan Curtis

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The solar wind is a continuous flow of particles from the Sun consisting of electrically charged particles in a state known as plasma. The Earth’s magnetic field is distorted by the solar wind to a droplet-shaped magnetic bubble called the magnetosphere. On the nightside, the Earth’s magnetic field is stretched into a long tail, the magnetotail, much like the tail of a comet.

The blue cavity represents the magnetosphere. The red area denotes the region where a large amount of charged particles reside and intense electric currents flow within the magnetosphere. The four Cluster satellites encountered a flow reversal region in the magnetotail.

Credits: Tony Lui, JHU/APL, USA

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A plasma flow reversal region was encountered by the four Cluster satellites on 8 August 2003. The magnetic field lines are shown in purple, the plasma flow vectors are in green, and the current disruption sites are in red.

Credits: Tony Lui, JHU/APL, USA

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This animation illustrates the complex structure of the magnetic field within a plasma flow reversal region.

The above region was encountered by the four Cluster satellites on 8 August 2003. The magnetic field lines are shown in purple, the plasma flow vectors are in green, and the current disruption sites are in red. It puts forward the idea that disruption of electric current occurs intermittently in several sites within the flow reversal region.

The animation may take some time to download, please be patient.

Credits: Tony Lui, JHU/APL, USA

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