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NASA’s recent discovery of strange structures in the electrified layer of gas in the ionosphere has challenged scientists’ notion of having a complete understanding of Earth’s outer layer. Space experts are struggling to explain the existence of X and C-shaped structures discovered in the ionosphere under NASA’s Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) mission.
What is the ionosphere?
The ionosphere is the outermost layer of the Earth’s atmosphere. As the name suggests, it contains a large number of charged particles. The ionosphere is a very active part of the Earth’s atmosphere, which expands and contracts depending on the energy absorbed from the Sun. The gases present in this layer get excited by solar radiation to form ions. Therefore, the gas particles present in this layer are electrically charged.
What has NASA discovered in Earth’s atmosphere?
NASA’s GOLD mission found strange structures of electrified layer of gas in the ionosphere. The US space agency has made a surprising discovery of X- and C-shaped structures in the ionosphere. The X-shaped structures resemble peaks and can appear in the plasma of the ionosphere, a sea of charged particles typically found after solar storms. According to CNN, astronomers were aware of the presence of X-shaped peak-like structures in the ionosphere.
However, they have discovered the presence of C-shaped structures in the layer for the first time. Surprisingly, these never-before-seen C-shaped structures appeared during “quiet times”, when there were no atmospheric disturbances, CNN reported, citing a new research.
Is there any danger from the C-shaped structure?
The report also states that the unexplained and mysterious C-shaped structures in the ionosphere can cause huge harm to humans. According to CNN report, C-shaped structures and bubbles have the potential to disrupt communications.
“If there is a vortex or very strong shear in the plasma, it will completely distort the plasma in that region. Such a strong disturbance will cause the signals to be completely lost,” Deepak Karan, a research scientist at the University of Colorado’s Atmospheric and Space Physics Laboratory, told CNN.
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