The first “space hurricane” never observed
In 2014, a strange phenomenon was detected by the DMSP F17 satellite of the American army. It was only seven years later, in 2021, that researchers officially described this event as the first “space hurricane” never observed.
The latter, which lasted almost eight hours, was more than 1,000 kilometers in diameter and swept over the polar cap, a region located in high latitude where the terrestrial magnetic field directs the solar and cosmic particles towards the atmosphere. But if a conventional hurricane produces powerful gusts of winds and huge amounts of rain, the space hurricanes are composed of plasma, a set of loaded particles activated by the terrestrial magnetic field. And according to a recent Chinese study, it had amazing consequences.
disturbed GPS signals
published on July 12 in < href = "https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/Full/10.1029/2025sw004435?utm_source=rss_feed& ;utm_medium=Link& Weather , the study examined the satellite and terrestrial data of this famous spatial hurricane of 2014. The researchers explain that they have discovered that the latter had triggered notable disturbances, such as that of the GPS signals crossing the peripheral regions of the storm, which can impact the values of positions of positions by making them less precise. This can affect our daily lives, because the GPS applications that we use to move risk less well.
more, the space.com site explains to us that at the same time, sudden and localized changes in the terrestrial magnetic field were detected in Greenland thanks to terrestrial magnetometers. “Our study shows that space hurricanes can trigger effects … Read The continuation on science and life
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