magnetic field Archives

Panels show: A, B MAG magnetic field amplitude and vector;

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Mars, Press Release, Radiation, Space Weather & Heliophysics

A Surprising Phenomenon Found In NASA Data From Mars

by Keith CowingJune 1, 2026June 1, 2026

Data beamed back from Mars by the NASA spacecraft MAVEN provides the first evidence that a phenomenon protecting planets from solar winds can occur in the atmospheres of worlds that […]

a The Viking 1 & 2 landers detected chlorinated breakdown products likely formed through interactions between organics and oxychlorine anions during thermal volatilization utilized for analysis11,12, b the Curiosity rover identified various functionalized organic fragments and long-chain n-alkanes (for simplicity, a subset is illustrated here)13,15, and the Perseverance rover measured redox-driven organo-mineral associations and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); * indicates that PAHs reported by Fornaro et al. (2025) were found in different locations and geologic units than organo-mineral associations reported by Hurowitz et al. (2025)14,16. d Carbonaceous meteorites and asteroids delivered to planetary surfaces contain a rich array of organics, including some of the same compounds detected on Mars (e.g., macromolecular carbon, thiophenes, PAHs, long-chain n-alkanes), along with a diverse suite of prebiotic organics, which highlights the importance of understanding abiotic background material when searching for organic biosignatures on Mars5,6,7,18. Image credits: a NASA/JPL, b NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS, c NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS, d NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona. -- Nature via PubMed

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Status Report

An Organics-forward Approach To Searching For Life On Mars

by Keith CowingMay 24, 2026May 24, 2026

The modern Martian surface is cold, dry, oxidizing, and perpetually bombarded with radiation, rendering it generally inhospitable to life as we know it.

Discrete mesh for the 3-D model with a heterogeneous ice shell thickness. The ice shell surface and base are constrained by models depicted in Figure 1 and described in Table 1. The yellow circle depicts the ice base of the mean ice shell, corresponding to the 1-D model. Three colors denote ice, ocean, and core regions. Each region is assigned a homogeneous electrical conductivity according to Table 2. The total number of cells in the mesh is 126976. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Enceladus, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Press Release

Exploring Enceladus’s Interior Structure Using Electromagnetic Induction

by Keith CowingMay 13, 2026May 13, 2026

Electromagnetic (EM) sounding can constrain the electrical structure of Enceladus and, in turn, the salinity of its ocean and the porosity, fluid content, and thermal state of its hydrothermally active […]

Numerical ocean-induction setup for Ganymede in a deep-ocean scenario with REM = 1.77 . Ganymede's internal structure is depicted, featuring the ice crust, the deep ocean with its simulated zonal flow, the internal ice layer, the silicate mantle, and the metallic core. Yellow tubes visualize the magnetic field lines. The bottom-right panel shows how magnetic field lines are sheared by the zonal (east–west) jet flow in the ocean (blue/red denote westward/eastward jets, respectively), thereby reflecting the secondary magnetic field induced by such dynamics. -- Geophysical Research Letters

Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Ganymede, Icy Worlds, Jupiter, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Motional Induction in Ganymede’s Ocean

by Keith CowingMay 10, 2026May 11, 2026

We investigate the magnetic signature of oceanic circulation in Ganymede’s subsurface ocean using kinematic induction modeling. Our approach couples zonal jet flows from rotating thermal convection simulations with magnetic field […]

Artist’s impression of the simulations conducted in this research. Jupiter (lower left) has a strong magnetic field which creates a cavity in its circumplanetary disk. Saturn (upper right) lacks a strong magnetic field so its circumplanetary disk evolves without a cavity. Credit: Yuri I. Fujii/L-INSIGHT [Kyoto University], Illustrator: Shinichiro Kinoshita

Astrogeology, Callisto, Enceladus, Europa, Ganymede, Gas Giants, Icy Worlds, Io, Jupiter, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Press Release, Rhea, Saturn, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

How Jupiter Cultivated More Large Moons Than Saturn

by Keith CowingApril 8, 2026April 8, 2026

The two largest planets in our Solar System, Jupiter and Saturn, also have the largest satellite systems, or the most moons. At present, Jupiter’s reported moon count stands at more […]

Astrogeology, Ganymede, Icy Worlds, Jupiter, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Motional Induction In Ganymede’s Ocean

by Keith CowingMarch 14, 2026March 14, 2026

The reconstructed timeframe of the YSDP-4 drill core. (A) Depth-adjusted χfd% series (gray curve)

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extinction events, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

New Study Reveals Asynchronous Land–ocean Responses To Ancient Ocean Anoxia

by Keith CowingMarch 9, 2026March 9, 2026

Earth experienced a period of intense, large-scale volcanism during the early Aptian. Around that time, it also experienced widespread ocean deoxygenation during the Oceanic Anoxic Event 1a (OAE1a) as well […]

ultraviolet aurorae on Ganymede ©️ NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/UVS/ULiège/Gusbin/Bonfond

Ganymede, Jupiter, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Press Release, Radiation, Space Weather & Heliophysics

Similarities Between Auroras On Ganymede And Earth

by Keith CowingFebruary 25, 2026February 25, 2026

A team of astrophysicists from the Laboratory of Atmospheric and Planetary Physics (LPAP) has observed for the first time the fine details of the auroras on Ganymede, the only moon […]

Height scales of atmospheres of Solar System’s terrestrial planets. The solid lines show the temperature profiles against altitude, while the background color reflects the atmospheric pressure. Horizontal dashed lines denote the average positions of atmospheric boundaries: tropopause ("t"), stratopause ("s"), and mesopause ("m"). Vertical cyan lines depict the extension of ionospheres ("i") under typical conditions. The "⊙" symbol denotes the 100 mbar level. -- astro-ph.EP

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Status Report

Upper Atmosphere Dynamics And Drivers Of Volatiles Loss From Terrestrial-type (exo)Planets

by Keith CowingFebruary 18, 2026February 18, 2026

Volatile loss from exoplanetary atmospheres and its possible implications for the longevity of habitable surface conditions is a topic of vigorous debate currently.

Deep layers of molten rock inside some super-earths could generate powerful magnetic fields—potentially stronger than Earth’s—and help shield these exoplanets from harmful radiation. (University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics illustration / Michael Franchot)

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Press Release, Radiation

Hidden Magma Oceans Could Shield Rocky Exoplanets From Harmful Radiation

by Keith CowingJanuary 21, 2026January 21, 2026

Deep beneath the surface of distant exoplanets known as super-earths, oceans of molten rock may be doing something extraordinary: powering magnetic fields strong enough to shield entire planets from dangerous […]