Recent research has revealed some fascinating bursts of energy in space, specifically in regions that scientists didn’t expect. These bursts are known as “chorus waves” because they travel at frequencies similar to sounds humans can hear. When converted to audio, these waves resemble the cheerful chirping of birds.
While scientists have studied chorus waves for a long time, this new research has noted their presence a staggering 100,000 kilometers from Earth. This is the farthest they’ve been detected from a planet before.
Chengming Liu, a researcher from Beihang University in Beijing, shared that these waves are among the most powerful and important in outer space. Allison Jaynes, a space physicist at the University of Iowa, mentioned that this discovery opens up many questions about the physics of the area.
The new chorus waves were found in a zone where Earth’s magnetic field stretches out more than usual. This area was not expected to harbor such waves, sparking curiosity about how they form. Jaynes believes it’s crucial to explore more occurrences of these waves.
Scientists are still piecing together how these waves come about, but they suspect that Earth’s magnetic field plays a role in their creation. For decades, chorus waves have been picked up by various radio antennas. The first observations date back to the 1960s at a research station in Antarctica. NASA’s Van Allen Probes also detected these waves closer to Earth.
The latest findings were captured by NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale satellites, launched in 2015 to study the magnetic fields of Earth and the sun.
Interestingly, chorus waves have also been found near other planets like Jupiter and Saturn. These waves can generate high-energy electrons, which might pose risks to satellite communications. Researchers suggest that chorus waves could potentially be present in the magnetic fields surrounding many planets.
This important study was published on January 22 in the journal Nature.
I’m Anna Matteo.
Adithi Ramakrishnan reported this story for the Associated Press. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English.
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