14 DAY TRIAL // Scientists have new evidence about the existence of space wind, a theory that has been around for 20 years.
“Plasmapheric wind” is a phenomenon that has been elusive so far and its existence helps scientists gain a better understanding of how the atmosphere protects us from the violent solar winds, RT reports.
Basically, this means that the imbalance between centrifugal and pressure forces and the gravitational pull causes a flow of ionized particles.
The proof was unveiled in a study published in European Geosciences Union journal Annales Geophysicae.
“After long scrutiny of the data, there it was, a slow but steady wind, releasing about 1 kg (2.2 lbs) of plasma every second into the outer magnetosphere: this corresponds to almost 90 tons (198,416 lbs) every day,” said Dr. Iannis Dandouras, the study’s author.
He managed to calculate that the winds carry plasma at about 5,000 kilometers (3,106 miles) per hour.
The data that helped Dandouras reach this conclusion came from the EU Space Agency’s Cluster mission which was launched thirteen years ago.