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A solar storm hitting Earth appears to have reduced the amount of incoming high-energy cosmic rays, suggesting a new way of measuring solar

"Solar activity has a well-known impact on the flux of low-energy cosmic rays that strike Earth. Now researchers have detected a solar-storm-induced change in the flux of higher-energy cosmic rays [1]. Using data from a large detector array in China, the team measured a decrease—over several hours—in cosmic-ray showers coming from a particular direction in the sky. The timing of this anisotropy suggests that cosmic rays heading into the outward-moving storm were preferentially scattered by the storm’s magnetic fields. The results could lead to a new way to study the magnetic structures in solar storms.

("X. Ye/Purple Mountain Observatory; W. Mitthumsiri/Mahidol University - Cosmic shield. A bubble of plasma erupts from the Sun’s surface during a coronal mass ejection. Magnetic fields associated with this plasma can alter the paths of cosmic rays. For TeV cosmic rays, the deflection appears to be strongest for those moving toward the Sun (light and dark blue trajectories). This directional dependence can explain an anisotropy observed by the LHAASO team.")

The solar wind—the spray of charged particles continually emitted by the Sun—partially shields Earth and other planets from cosmic rays that stream into the Solar System from all directions. The wind contains magnetic fields that help deflect the high-energy protons and other particles that make up the cosmic rays. In 2024, when the wind was at the peak in its 11-year cycle, the flux of cosmic rays was down by about 0.5% compared to the average.

Such variation can also occur over daylong timescales when a solar storm passes over Earth. This spike in solar activity is often associated with a coronal mass ejection (CME)—a large bubble of plasma exploding from the Sun’s surface. In this plasma, magnetic field lines braided like the threads of a rope can trap cosmic rays, reducing the flux that reaches Earth by roughly 1%. This so-called Forbush decrease has been documented for relatively low-energy cosmic rays in the 100 MeV to 100 GeV range. At higher energies, cosmic rays should fly through the magnetic ropes, so their flux at Earth is expected to remain unaffected, says David Ruffolo of Mahidol University in Thailand."

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#sun #earth #interaction #magnetism #electromagnetism #electricity #magnetic field #plasma #plasma physics

wayti-blog

Researchers from the University of Oxford have uncovered evidence that Mars once hosted enormous, Earth-like magmatic systems deep beneath i

"Researchers from the University of Oxford have uncovered evidence that Mars once hosted enormous, Earth-like magmatic systems deep beneath its surface—despite the planet lacking the plate tectonics long thought necessary for this kind of geological complexity.

The findings, published in Nature Astronomy, reveal new possibilities for how rocky planets become habitable.

Mars is often described as a "stagnant lid" planet: Unlike Earth, its surface is not broken into moving tectonic plates. Because plate tectonics drives volcanism, recycling and continent-building on Earth, many scientists assumed Mars lacked the conditions needed to produce similarly complex crust. However, this new study challenges that view, suggesting that Mars could have produced highly evolved crust through intense internal recycling.

The study was based on data recorded by NASA's InSight mission to investigate seismic waves from meteoroid impacts and marsquakes—the Martian equivalent of earthquakes."

"The researchers believe that this buried layer likely formed where molten rock pooled deep underground and gradually separated into different materials. This would leave behind a thick residue of dense crystals at the base of the crust, while lighter, more evolved melts rose upward. On Earth, similar processes occur beneath volcanic arcs and are linked to the formation of continents.

(...) "We've traditionally assumed that volcanism on Mars was relatively simple compared to that on Earth. But this discovery suggests Mars could sustain large, long-lived systems where molten rock evolved and reprocessed itself throughout the entire crust. It raises exciting possibilities for how common such systems might be on rocky planets beyond our solar system."

The study suggests this layer may extend sideways for hundreds or even thousands of kilometers around Mars' northern hemisphere, indicating that the red planet once hosted enormous, interconnected magmatic systems rather than simple, isolated volcanoes. This phenomenon—known as "transcrustal magmatism"—was previously thought to be unique to Earth.

These geological processes are closely linked to how planets develop atmospheres, oceans and potentially habitable environments. For instance, on Earth, geological recycling helps regulate climate and supports long-term cycling of water and other volatile elements."

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wayti-blog

For decades, the fields of physics and chemistry have maintained that the atoms and molecules that make up the natural world define the char

"For decades, the fields of physics and chemistry have maintained that the atoms and molecules that make up the natural world define the character of solid matter. Salt crystals get their crystalline quality from the ionic bond between sodium and chloride ions, metals like iron or copper get their strength from the metallic bonds between iron or copper atoms, and rubbers get their stretchiness from the flexible bonds within polymers that constitute the rubber. The same principle applies for materials like fungi, bacteria, and wood.

Or so the story goes.

A new paper published in Nature upends that paradigm, and argues that the character of many biological materials is actually created by the water that permeates these materials. Water gives rise to a solid and goes on to define the properties of that solid, all the while maintaining its liquid characteristics. In their paper, the authors group these and other materials into a new class of matter that they call "hydration solids," which they say "acquire their structural rigidity, the defining characteristic of the solid state, from the fluid permeating their pores." The new understanding of biological matter can help answer questions that have dogged scientists for years."

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skf-fineart

Mayan plate with monkey tail in spiral

Date: c. 300-850 AD

Collection: Museo Nacional de Antropología, México

livingforstars

An Active Region of the Sun - June 16th, 1998.

"The Sun is a busy place. This false-colour image depicts an active region near an edge of the Sun. Hot plasma is seen exploding off the Sun's photosphere and traveling along loops defined by the Sun's magnetic field. The red regions are particularly hot, indicating that some magnetic field loops carry hotter gas than others. These active loops were so large, that the Earth could easily fit under one."

#sun #magnetism #plasma #energy #electric universe #electric sun

nubbsgalore

lightning strikes the grand canyon. photos by (click pic) travis roe, dan ransom (timelapse), rold maeder, david ponton and doug koepsel

world-beauty

The Sharpest View of the Sun

Credits: SST, RoyalSwedish Academy of Sciences

#sun #energy #plasma #plasma physics #magnetism #electromagnetism #sunspot #electric universe #electric sun

babyfoxcollectionthings

wayti-blog

A new study at UNC-Chapel Hill provides the first evidence that sea turtles can learn & remember the unique magnetic signatures of the Earth

"A new study from researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill provides the first empirical evidence that loggerhead sea turtles can learn and remember the unique magnetic signatures of different geographic regions. This discovery offers new insights into how turtles and other migratory animals navigate vast distances to reach specific foraging and breeding grounds. The findings, published in the journal Nature, also suggest that sea turtles possess two distinct magnetic senses that function differently to detect the Earth’s magnetic field."

"Through controlled experiments, the research team demonstrated that loggerhead turtles can indeed learn and remember the magnetic fields of areas where they receive food. This ability suggests that turtles use learned magnetic information to navigate back to foraging areas, helping explain their remarkable navigational accuracy over long distances. More broadly, these findings could apply to a wide range of migratory animals that rely on magnetic cues for navigation.

“The ability to distinguish among magnetic fields of different geographic areas likely explains how many animals – not just sea turtles – can navigate long distances to specific locations,” said Ken Lohmann, a professor of biology at UNC-Chapel Hill.

The research also delves into the underlying mechanisms of magnetic sensing. The results indicate that turtles’ magnetic map sense and magnetic compass sense rely on different ways of detecting magnetic fields, suggesting the presence of two distinct magnetic senses in these animals. This discovery provides a major advancement in the broader scientific understanding of how animals perceive and use the Earth’s magnetic field."

"The study’s interdisciplinary nature highlights the importance of collaboration across scientific fields. Notably, the specialized antenna system built for this research closely resembles technology used for separate research, demonstrating the broad applications of electromagnetic principles."

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spacewonder19

Baby Star HOPS-315: The Dawn of a New Solar System ©

wayti-blog

"This is HOPS-315, a baby star where astronomers have observed evidence for the earliest stages of planet formation. The image was taken with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which ESO is a partner. Together with data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), these observations show that hot minerals are beginning to solidify."

- ESO

Death of Comet 332P

Sunset on Mars

"NASA missions track record-breaking radio burst from sun"

(A record-breaking radio burst from the sun in August 2025 was found to have originated from a feature in the sun’s atmosphere called a helmet streamer. This image taken during the Aug. 21, 2017, total solar eclipse shows the classic V-shape of a large helmet streamer. Credit: Miloslav Druckmüller, Peter Aniol, Shadia Habbal/NASA Goddard, Joy Ng)

"When NASA scientists first observed a particular radio burst from the sun in August 2025, there was nothing unusual about it. But then the radio burst kept going. Typically, solar radio bursts like these last a few hours to days. But this one was different. By the time it was over, the radio burst had lasted 19 days—far exceeding scientists' expectations and the previous record, which lasted just five days.

These types of radio bursts, called Type IV bursts, emerge from reservoirs of electrons trapped by the sun's magnetic fields. While the radio waves themselves are harmless, the same magnetic environments also can produce solar activity that sends dangerous particles toward Earth, which can affect satellites and spacecraft.

To analyze the event, researchers combined data from NASA's STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory), Parker Solar Probe, and Wind missions as well as ESA (the European Space Agency) and NASA's Solar Orbiter. The work is published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Each mission observed the radio burst for a few days over its 19-day duration as the sun's rotation carried the burst into view of the different spacecraft, which were spread across the inner solar system.

The scientists developed a new technique using data from STEREO to pinpoint the source of the radio burst to a large magnetic feature in the sun's atmosphere called a helmet streamer. The scientists think a trio of explosive outbursts, called coronal mass ejections, in the same region may have fueled the long-lasting event.

The findings are helping scientists better identify radio bursts and improve space weather forecasting."

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materialsscienceandengineering

This laser turns metal into a star-like plasma in trillionths of a second

Scientists just filmed atoms losing and regaining electrons in trillionths of a second—unlocking secrets of plasma and future fusion energy.

When intense laser flashes strike matter, they can knock electrons out of their positions around atomic nuclei. This process creates plasma, an extremely hot state made up of charged particles known as ions and electrons. Researchers at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) have now captured this ionization process with unprecedented detail, as reported in Nature Communications. To achieve this, the team combined two advanced laser systems: an X-ray free-electron laser and the high-intensity optical laser ReLaX. Both were used at the HED-HiBEF experimental station at the European XFEL in Schenefeld near Hamburg. Their work provides new insight into how high-energy lasers interact with matter under extreme conditions. It also introduces a promising method for improving diagnostics in laser fusion research.

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