In a first, space hurricane detected over North Pole. It swirled for 8 hours In a first, space hurricane detected over North Pole. It swirled for 8 hours A space hurricane was detected for the first time over the North Pole. These hurricanes rained electrons and lasted for 8 hours, a new study has found. advertisement Illustration of the space hurricane. (Qing-He Zhang, Shandong University) For the first time, scientists have discovered a "space hurricane" that swirled over the North Pole, in Earth's upper atmosphere, for eight hours. These hurricanes, which "rained" electrons, are known to occur in Earth's lower atmosphere. They had never been detected earlier in the upper atmosphere.