this post was submitted on 05 Sep 2024
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A long-sought invisible force wrapped around Earth has been detected more than half a century after it was first hypothesized.

The field, dubbed the "polar wind," explains how Earth's atmosphere escapes easily and rapidly above the north and south poles, and may have played a role in shaping our planet's thin upper atmosphere.

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[–] LodeMike@lemmy.today 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Edit: ELECTRICAL field sorry

A long-sought invisible force wrapped around Earth has been detected more than half a century after it was first hypothesized.

99% chance I'm being an idiot here, but, compass?

[–] tb_@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Magnetic field ≠ electric field

[–] bbuez@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Fucking magnets, how do they work?

[–] yamaonan@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago
[–] Flocklesscrow@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago

Pure gumption

[–] Redacted@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

I think it means the electric field created within Earth's atmosphere that is responsible for lightning as opposed to the (electro)magnetic field which forms the magnetosphere around Earth and makes compasses work.

[–] keturn@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago