FOR KIDS: Surprise ions

A high-flying satellite reveals a crowd of charged particles in the magnetosphere

Web edition : Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012

Earth?s magnetic field does more than tell compasses which way to point. Stretching thousands of miles into space, it also buffers our planet from the solar wind, an energetic stream of particles from the sun. Strong bursts of solar wind can change the shape of this protective shield, called the magnetosphere, and particle collisions within the region can cause the beautiful, shifting light shows in the sky known as auroras.

Scientists have known for about a hundred years that the magnetosphere also contains positive-charged particles called cold ions. These particles form in a lower layer of Earth?s upper atmosphere and get swept outward to the magnetosphere. A recent experiment shows that the layer of cold, or low-energy, ions in the magnetosphere is thicker than scientists previously thought.

Visit the new?Science News for Kids?website?and read the full story:?Surprise ions

Found in: Science News For Kids

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/338634/title/FOR_KIDS_Surprise_ions

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