Energetic electrons are accelerated directly by magnetic reconnections and can act as tracers of large-scale magnetic field conditions.
Magnetotail
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Deciphering Electron Signatures in Earth’s Magnetic Tail
A new analysis of spacecraft data collected near the tip of Earth’s magnetotail sheds light on how geomagnetic activity affects the motion of electrons in this region.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Measuring the Magnetic Reconnection Rate in the Magnetotail
Both simulations and observations are used to measure the magnetic reconnection rate in the Earth’s magnetotail, suggesting that the rate is correlated with the intensity of a magnetic substorm.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Measurements of Kelvin-Helmholtz Waves in Earth’s Magnetic Field
Simultaneous satellite observations from different distances of Earth’s magnetic tail offer insight into how these instability waves evolve through time and space.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Evidence That Earth’s Forehead Controls the Wagging of its Tail
Yes, Earth has a tail, a magnetotail, and there is debate about how much Earth’s upper atmosphere plays a role in the controlling the dynamics of this region of space.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Angles of Plasma Ropes near Mars Point to Different Origins
Variation in the orientation of flux rope features in Mars’s magnetotail suggests that some of them form on the planet’s Sun-facing side and travel to the night side.
Posted inScience Updates
Great Mysteries of the Earth's Magnetotail
Workshop on Magnetotail Reconnection Onset and Dipolarization Fronts; Laurel, Maryland, 16–18 September 2015