Open AccessMagnetic reconnection at the edge of Uranus's magnetic field
Author(s) -
Balcerak Ernie
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1002/2014eo360016
Subject(s) - uranus , planet , physics , mercury's magnetic field , magnetosphere , magnetic reconnection , magnetic field , solar wind , astronomy , interplanetary magnetic field , astrobiology , geophysics , magnetosphere of saturn , astrophysics , magnetopause , quantum mechanics
A new modeling study sheds light on how the magnetosphere of Uranus compares to those of other planets. Magnetospheres around the inner planets Mercury and Earth are primarily driven by the solar wind—the charged particles spewed out from the Sun—through magnetic reconnection, in which the planet's magnetic field lines break and reconnect, releasing energy in the process.