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Space physics is the study of the natural phenomenon that occur in our solar system. Specifically, the sun, the particles and radiation it creates and how these affect the planets. This includes the solar wind and its interaction with the Earth and near-Earth space; so-called space weather.
Measurements from the heavily shielded Orion spacecraft during the uncrewed Artemis I mission show dose-rate reductions due to shielding and orientation for Van Allen belt crossings and quantify the interplanetary cosmic-ray radiation in a human-rated spacecraft.
Understanding how extreme solar storms affect radiocarbon dating has made it possible to obtain calendar ages with annual precision, and future studies could yield insights into archaeology, solar physics and Earth science.
Flux ropes are fundamental structures that govern much of the dynamics in astrophysical and space plasmas. The authors show how out-of-equilibrium processes can form small-scale flux ropes and compare them to simulations and spacecraft observations.
Chuanpeng Hou and co-authors report their findings on the origin of interplanetary switchbacks in solar magnetic reconnection at chromospheric network boundaries. This link between in situ and remote-sensing solar observations is a major step towards understanding coronal heating and solar wind acceleration.
The ambipolar field of Earth controls the structure of the polar ionosphere and boosts its scale height by 271%, physically driving the polar wind and acting as the source of the magnetospheric cold H+ ion population.
AIs based on deep learning struggle to keep learning new things, but ‘waking up’ their ‘neurons’ could help overcome this — plus, how video games gave peoples’ mental health a boost during the pandemic.
Current techniques to spot gravitational waves can only detect them in a narrow band, so researchers are investigating new techniques to spot these ripples in space-time.
In his previous Thesis, Bruce Gibb introduced us to the chemistry of Jupiter’s moons. Now, he takes us on a tour of NASA’s Europa Clipper, the spacefaring chemistry lab set to revolutionize our understanding of Jupiter’s most intriguing satellite.