For example, the magnetosphere of Mercury, the closest planet to the sun, has only around 1% the strength of Earth's magnetic bubble, which is strong enough to protect our planet's atmosphere and life from highly energetic charged particles from the sun. Magnetospheres come with different strengths and different characteristics, however. Even one solar system moon - the huge Jovian satellite Ganymede - has a magnetosphere. Many planets in the solar system have magnetospheres, as does the sun. Strong magnetic fields form a magnetic bubble around a planet called a magnetosphere, which can trap and accelerate charged particles to speeds approaching that of light. "While the formation of stars and planets can be different, the physics inside of them can be very similar in that mushy part of the mass continuum connecting low-mass stars to brown dwarfs and gas giant planets," Kao said. And, because the dwarf star has a mass that lies between low-mass stars and brown dwarfs - objects often referred to as "failed stars" because they lack the mass needed to initiate nuclear fusion at their cores - the new observations could help astronomers find the dividing line between small stars and large planets. LSR J1835+3259 was the only object beyond the solar system that Kao was confident could be observed with enough detail to resolve its radiation belts. The image was captured by the team using a network of 39 radio telescopes, which combined to form a single virtual telescope called the High Sensitivity Array. (Image credit: Melodie Kao, Amy Mioduszewski) The first image of a radiation belt outside the solar system, which was captured using 39 radio telescopes to create a virtual telescope spanning the globe from Hawaii to Germany.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |