NASA has turned science fiction into science fact by announcing the discovery of hidden 'portals' in Earth's magnetic field.
Called X-points or electron diffusion regions, rather than being intergalactic folds in space leading to different galaxies and planets, these portals aid in the transfer of the magnetic field from the Sun to Earth.
Essentially, these portals aid in the transfer of tons of magnetically charged particles that flow from the Sun causing the northern and southern lights and geomagnetic storms.
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A NASA funded research project has discovered the existence of unexplained portals between the Earth and the Sun
'We call them X-points or electron diffusion regions,' said University of Iowa plasma physicist Jack Scudder, who is studying them.
'They’re places where the magnetic field of Earth connects to the magnetic field of the Sun, creating an uninterrupted path leading from our own planet to the sun’s atmosphere 93 million miles away.'
In 2014, the U.S. space agency will launch a new mission called Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission (MMS) which will consist of four spacecraft which will circle the earth to locate and then study the 'X-points'
Usually the Earth's magnetic field deflects particles from directly traveling to the Earth, but the portals provide a direct route to our atmosphere
Specifically where the Earth and the Sun's magnetic fields connect and where the unexplained portals are formed.
While Scudder and his team at the University if Iowa are unclear as to what the portals are yet, they have observed charged particles flowing through them, causing electro-magnetic phenomemon in the Earth's atmosphere.
'Magnetic portals are invisible, unstable and elusive. They open and close without warning and there are no signposts to guide us in,' said Scudder.
Some of the portals are miniscule and disappear almost instantly, while some are large and fairly stable.
The magnetic force of lines between the Earth and the Sun is outlined here and it when these lines cross that portals can form
'Magnetic portals are invisible, unstable and elusive. They open and close without warning and there are no signposts to guide us in,' said Scudder.
Looking forward to the launch of the MMS mission in 2014, Scudder and his team have calibrated the technology sufficiently to locate the portals.
'We have found five simple combinations of magnetic field and energetic particle measurements that tell us when we've come across a X-point,' said Scudder.
'A single spacecraft, properly instrumented, can make these measurements.'
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