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10 Stunning New Ways To Visualize How The Earth Works Earth’s green-blue visage is awful nice, but we see it so often that we’re sick of it. Luckily, NASA and other space agencies are constantly dreaming up new ways to visualize the countless terrestrial processes we take for granted. 10Earth’s Plasmasphere The plasmasphere is the inner portion of Earth’s magnetic field, and it’s fabulous. Recently, astronomers have found a constant flux of particles between the two electrically charged regions, forming a terrestrial version of the solar wind. As solar UV radiation strikes the atmosphere, it kicks off a gigantic ionic rave. Tiny electrons are whipped up and ionize other particles, creating a magnetic stew high above Earth’s surface. The flow is somewhat modest in cosmic terms. It releases only about 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) of charged material into the outer magnetosphere per second. Daily, this adds up to 90 tons of plasma discharge, and this flowing electr ....
Still of Earth’s radiation belt, showing the double-belt structure. Image: SAMPEX/NASA. Most people don’t know that Earth’s magnetic field has a weak spot the size of the continental US hovering over South America and the southern Atlantic Ocean. We’re safe from any effects on the ground, but our satellites aren’t so lucky: When they zip through this magnetic anomaly, they are bombarded with radiation more intense than anywhere else in orbit. There is reason to believe that this dent in the magnetic field, called the South Atlantic Anomaly, is only getting bigger. This anomaly is far from the only unusual feature of Earth’s magnetic field. ....
Most people don’t know that Earth’s magnetic field has a weak spot the size of the continental United States hovering over South America and the southern Atlantic Ocean. We’re safe from any effects on the ground, but our satellites aren’t so lucky: When they zip through this magnetic anomaly, they are bombarded with radiation more intense than anywhere else in orbit. There is reason to believe that this dent in the magnetic field, called the South Atlantic Anomaly, is only getting bigger. This anomaly is far from the only unusual feature of Earth’s magnetic field. ....