Protective cloak: A new layer to Earth's protective magnetosphere has been discovered, shedding light on the origin of its particles.
Credit: Wikimedia
A noteworthy advance
Chappell said he hopes the research will act as a springboard for further research, stimulating an interest in the measurement and modelling of the origins of particles in the magnetosphere.
Murray Parkinson, a space physicist at Melbourne's La Trobe University in Victoria, Australia, said that the research is intriguing.
"It's a noteworthy advance in our understanding of the Earth's magnetosphere," he said, with the warm plasma cloak akin to the missing link of the magnetosphere, having a mid-way location and temperature.
"Its discovery is important because it will help improve the prediction of space weather and storms which affect the operation of satellites and communication technology," he added.
