Earth's magnetic field

Latest about Earth's magnetic field

Extremely rare pink auroras temporarily filled the skies above Norway after a crack in the Earth's magnetosphere enabled solar wind to penetrate deep into Earth's atmsopehre.

Solar storm smashes hole in Earth's magnetosphere, triggering extremely rare pink auroras

By Harry Baker published

On Nov. 3, a solar storm caused a temporary crack in Earth's magnetic field. The resulting hole enabled energetic particles to penetrate deep into the planet's atmosphere and set off extremely rare pink auroras.

The Sun
A photo shows the cliffside in Japan's Chiba prefecture that's part of a line of sediment that recorded the geologic history of the planet between 770,000 and 126,000 years ago.

Earth has a new geologic age: The Chibanian

By Rafi Letzter published

It's all thanks to a cliff by a river in Japan.

Geology
Gray whale surfacing.

Solar Storms Might Be Causing Gray Whales to Get Lost

By Kimberly Hickok published

Strandings of healthy gray whales increase with the prevalence of solar storms.

Whales
A magnetic field surrounds our planet and protects it from solar radiation. Our brains might be able to tune into it.

Scientists Find Evidence That Your Brain Can Sense Earth's Magnetic Field

By Yasemin Saplakoglu published

The Earth's magnetic field might be influencing the brain.

Mind
earth's magnetic field now and in times past

Why Earth's Magnetic Field Might Not Flip After All

By Stephanie Pappas published

The magnetic field is likely to recover without major disruption, new research finds.

Planet Earth
nasa-beached-whale-calf

Are Solar Storms Causing Mysterious Sea Animal Beachings?

By Kacey Deamer published

Whales, dolphins and porpoises end up stranded on beaches and no one knows why.

Animals
Grain Bins in Southern Africa

Ancient Huts May Reveal Clues to Earth's Magnetic Pole Reversals

By Sarah Lewin published

Archaeology
Planet Mercury

Early Earth May Have Absorbed Mercury-like Object

By Charles Q. Choi published

Mercury
Two Van Allen Probes

'Zebra Stripes' in Earth's Magnetic Field Have Surprising Source

By Nola Taylor Redd published

Strange stripelike features in Earth's magnetic field are caused by the planet's spin, and not by the constant bombardment of solar particles as previously thought, scientists say.

Physics & Mathematics
The Earth's magnetic field, magnetic poles and geographic poles.

Magma Ocean Could Have Given Early Earth Magnetic Field

By Charles Q. Choi published

Rivers & Oceans
123