Tearing into each other: When the magnetic fields of the Sun and Earth align, Earth's protective bubble can be breached, letting in solar storm particles.
Credit: NASA
The locations are such because, while the magnetic fields of the Sun and Earth may be aligned at equator-level, at higher latitudes they end up pointing in opposite directions, resulting in the magnetosphere tearing.
In order to wreak havoc, many solar particles must breach Earth's magnetic shield and become energised by the magnetic solar wind energy - acting like fuel for new solar storms.
High energy havoc
If energy from the solar magnetic field breaches Earth's magnetic defenses before many particles are in the system, the effect of that energy is relatively benign. "One can compare this with a gas stove," Raeder said. "If you light the stove just as you open the gas valve nothing dramatic will happen. But if you open the valve for a while and then light the stove: boom!"
But many particles becoming energised magnify the force of incoming solar storms, and therefore have the potential to play havoc, Raeder added.
Magnetic storms, for example, could overload power lines and cause widespread blackouts, while radiation storms could threaten high-orbit crafts.
Storms on the horizon
The discovery of the magnetosphere leak may help predict the severity of future solar storms and the degree to which Earth will be affected, as we now move into the next 11-year solar cycle (in which solar storm activity waxes and wanes).
"With every new solar cycle, the direction of the solar magnetic field changes," Raeder said. In the last solar cycle, the pattern was like lighting the match before turning on the gas valve. This time, however, the reverse will happen. Thus, the researchers said, we could be in for stronger electromagnetic storms during cycle, which reaches its peak around 2012.
