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In its formation, the cosmic hurricane bears many similarities to those we experience on Earth: it is a swirling mass of energy, but instead of rainwater, electrons rush here. In a report from the University of Reading (UK), space physicist and professor Mike Lockwood says that so far it hasn’t even been clear whether space plasma hurricanes exist, so proving this with such impressive testimony is simply incredible.
The existence of cosmic hurricanes in the planet’s upper atmosphere has not been previously recorded.
Hurricanes like those recorded here on Earth have also been observed in the low atmospheres of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, as well as in the Sun’s atmosphere, where huge bursts of the Sun are unleashed, according to a report from the University of Leer.
“Plasmas and magnetic fields in planetary atmospheres exist throughout the universe, so it can be concluded that space hurricanes should be a widespread phenomenon,” Lockwood said.
The project was led by researchers from the University of Shandong in China. They believe that the information will help us better understand the connections between planets and atmospheres.
Space hurricanes are also believed to cause other effects of space weather, such as satellite orbit deviations, high-frequency radio interference, and errors in radar and satellite communication and navigation systems.
The visual footage of the hurricane, captured by satellite, is actually from 2014. August, so now the discovery is made retrospectively. The hurricane was estimated to hit an area of approximately 1,000 square kilometers, all at an altitude of several hundred kilometers above the North Pole. The space hurricane, like the usual hurricanes in the northern hemisphere, rotates counterclockwise. The natural phenomenon lasted almost eight hours, until it gradually diminished.
The study was published in the scientific journal Nature Communications.
Based on a report by Euronews, USA Today, and the University of Reading.
