magnetic field Archives

(a) Equatorial section of ur and (b) azimuthal section of uϕ showing a typical flow pattern for the metallic core-silicate magma ocean system for the default model D. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrogeology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Radiation, Status Report

Can A Convecting Magma Ocean Offer A Solution To The Puzzling Case Of Core Convection In Early Earth?

by Keith CowingAugust 2, 2025

Convective flow in Earth’s iron-rich liquid core drives self-sustained dynamo action, generating Earth’s magnetic field, which is strongest among all terrestrial planets of the solar system.

Left: The known exoplanet population (divided into two bins of masses above and below 10 Earth masses) as a function of their semi-major axis and of the central stellar mass. The classical habitable zone is shown by the blue area, and the region where star-planet magnetic interactions (SPMI) are expected to occur is shown by the red area, i.e. within the so-called Alfven surface. Right: Modelling of the wind of HD 189733 based on a spectropolarimetric map ( ´ Fares et al. 2017) showing the magnetic connectivity between the hot Jupiter HD 189733 b and its host (from Strugarek et al. 2022). -- astro-ph.IM

Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Status Report

Detecting And Characterising The Magnetic Field Of Exoplanets

by Keith CowingJuly 7, 2025July 7, 2025

Magnetic fields play a crucial role in planetary evolution and habitability. While the intrinsic magnetic fields of solar system planets are relatively well understood, the magnetic properties of exoplanets remain […]

The solar wind flows around Earth's magnetic field. A new NASA study suggests that the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere and strength of the magnetic field have been correlated for more than half a billion years. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Conceptual Image Laboratory

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Space Weather & Heliophysics, Status Report

Connections Have Been Discovered Between Earth’s Oxygen And Its Magnetic Field

by Keith CowingJune 20, 2025June 20, 2025

For 540 million years, the ebb and flow in the strength of Earth’s magnetic field has correlated with fluctuations in atmospheric oxygen, according to a newly released analysis by NASA […]

Current density (J⃗ = ∇ × B/ ⃗ (4π)) streamlines for an initial magnetic field B0 = 0.1 (the magnetic field streamlines corresponding to the same simulation are shown in the upper panel of Figure 2). The computational box is rotated as shown in the coordinate axes on the left. The color scale corresponds to the intensity of the current density, from blue (lower) to red (larger current density). As the magnetic field is nearly vertical, the current density is nearly zero on the left of the computational box (with respect to the x axis). Downstream (with respect to the planet position), the current density streamlines form a complex structure, with cavities (with low current density) which start from the position of the planet and extend towards larger values of y and z (see upper right panel). The projection of the current density along the x − y plane forms a structure which resembles the one obtained in analytical models (Figure 4). -- astro-ph.EP

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Status Report

Numerical Simulations Of The Interaction Between The Stellar Magnetic Field And A Planet

by Keith CowingApril 15, 2025April 15, 2025

Kepler and TESS observations led to the discovery of many close-in super Earths, including some with ultra-short orbital periods (≲1 day).

Stokes I (top), polarized intensity (PI) (middle) and polarization fraction (PF) (bottom) at 0.87, 1.3, 2.1 and 2.7 mm wavelengths plotted against right ascension (Δα) and declination (Δδ). Polarization vectors are also shown on the PI and PF images. The Stokes I and PI are converted to the brightness temperature (TB) by assuming the Rayleigh–Jeans approximation. The PF and polarization vectors are plotted where the polarized intensity is detected above the 3σ noise level. Contours on the PI and PF images indicate the brightness temperatures of the Stokes I emission of [0.1, 1, 10, 20] K for 0.87 mm, [0.1, 1, 5, 10, 20] K for 1.3 mm, [0.1, 1, 5, 9] K for 2.1 mm and [0.06, 0.3, 1, 3] K for 2.7 mm. The resolution (beam size) is shown as a small ellipse in the lower left corner of each panel. -- NAOJ

Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Press Release

Stellar Magnetic Fingerprints And Planetary Formation

by Keith CowingFebruary 7, 2025February 7, 2025

For the first time astronomers have succeeded in observing the magnetic field around a young star where planets are thought to be forming. The team was able to use dust […]

A view from the "Kimberley" formation on Mars taken by NASA's Curiosity rover. The strata in the foreground dip towards the base of Mount Sharp, indicating flow of water toward a basin that existed before the larger bulk of the mountain formed. -- NASALarger image

Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Habitable Zones, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Mars, Sample Return, Status Report

What We Can Learn About Mars From The Magnetism of Returned Samples

by Keith CowingJanuary 29, 2025January 29, 2025

The Red Planet is a magnetic planet. The Martian crust contains strong magnetization from a core dynamo that likely was active during the Noachian period when the surface may have […]

Qmax (Eq. 14) for the population of exoplanets from the exoplanet.eu database, as a function of the orbital distance and the stellar mass. A given rotation rate has been assumed for all stars in each panel, to estimate their magnetic field and the ambient magnetic field strength at the orbit of the planet. Trappist-1 b and π men c are highlighted by the red square in the left and right panels, respectively. -- astro-ph.EP

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Space Weather & Heliophysics, Status Report

Ohmic Heating In The Upper Atmosphere of Hot Exoplanets The Influence of a Time-varying Magnetic Field

by Keith CowingDecember 22, 2024December 22, 2024

Exoplanets on close-in orbit are subject to intense X-ray and ultraviolet (XUV) irradiation from their star. Their atmosphere therefore heats up, sometimes to the point where it thermally escapes from […]

Magnetic field of Uranus. (left) Magnetic field line geometry of Uranus for Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox in the Uranus–Sun–Orbit frame. The orbits of Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania and Oberon are shown. Independent of season, the magnetic field of Umbriel (as well as Miranda and Ariel) is well shielded from external effects of the magnetosphere, making it a robust target for magnetic induction investigation of its interior (right) Fourier transform of the magnetic field of Uranus evaluated at the position of Umbriel. Note that although there are many beats and harmonics of the two fundamental frequencies, only the synodic is used here for characterization owing to its dominance over the other frequencies. -- Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci via PubMed

Ariel, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Europa, Exploration Gear & Tech, Ganymede, Ice Giant, Icy Worlds, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Miranda, Oberon, Status Report, Titania, Umbriel, Uranus, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Detecting Planetary Oceans: Application To The Uranus System

by Keith CowingDecember 8, 2024May 12, 2025

The discovery of Europa’s subsurface ocean has spawned a strong desire by the planetary community to return and assess the ocean’s habitability using the magnetic induction signal that Europa generates.

The first panel of this artist’s concept depicts how Uranus’s magnetosphere — its protective bubble — was behaving before the flyby of NASA’s Voyager 2. The second panel shows an unusual kind of solar weather was happening during the 1986 flyby, giving scientists a skewed view of the magnetosphere. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

AI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Ice Giant, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Space Weather & Heliophysics, Uranus

Mining Old Data From NASA’s Voyager 2 Solves Several Uranus Mysteries

by Keith CowingNovember 18, 2024May 12, 2025

NASA’s Voyager 2 flyby of Uranus decades ago shaped scientists’ understanding of the planet but also introduced unexplained oddities. A recent data dive has offered answers.

MIT scientists analyzed one of several particles (shown in black) from the asteroid Ryugu, and found evidence that a weak magnetic field likely existed in the outer solar system where the asteroid is thought to have first formed, more than 4.6 billion years ago. Credit Elias Mansbach

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Interstellar, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release

Asteroid Grains Shed Light On The Outer Solar System’s Origins

by Keith CowingNovember 7, 2024November 7, 2024

Tiny grains from a distant asteroid are revealing clues to the magnetic forces that shaped the far reaches of the solar system over 4.6 billion years ago.