{"id":116040,"date":"2024-10-19T18:48:45","date_gmt":"2024-10-19T11:48:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=116040"},"modified":"2024-10-19T18:48:45","modified_gmt":"2024-10-19T11:48:45","slug":"lightning-can-send-killer-electrons-flying-into-space-at-near-light-speed-sciencealert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=116040","title":{"rendered":"Lightning Can Send &#8216;Killer Electrons&#8217; Flying Into Space at Near Light Speed : ScienceAlert"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/lightning\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" data-linkid=\"73099\" data-postid=\"140520\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_self\">Lightning<\/a> storms are some of the most <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/scientists-measure-x-rays-from-particularly-dangerous-upward-lightning-for-first-time\">spectacular<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/new-research-explains-what-makes-superbolt-lightning-so-powerful\">wild<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/lightning-inside-ferocious-hurricane-blasted-beam-antimatter-earth-gamma-ray-flash-positrons\">dramatic<\/a> events our world has to offer \u2013 but the effects are not just directed towards Earth&#8217;s surface.<\/p>\n<p>According to new research, lightning storms can rip high-energy &#8220;killer&#8221; electrons out of the planet&#8217;s radiation belt and fling them in all directions. It&#8217;s a new link between Earth&#8217;s meteorology and &#8216;weather&#8217; in the space around us, and it may help us better protect our space equipment and the humans we send into orbit.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;These particles are the scary ones or what some people call &#8216;killer electrons&#8217;,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.colorado.edu\/today\/2024\/10\/10\/lightning-strikes-kick-game-electron-pinball-space\">says aerospace engineer Max Feinland<\/a> of the University of Colorado, Boulder. &#8220;They can penetrate metal on satellites, hit circuit boards and can be carcinogenic if they hit a person in space.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/missions\/juice\/nasas-instruments-capture-sharpest-image-of-earths-radiation-belt\/\">Van Allen radiation belts<\/a> that surround our planet like a giant donut are a product of Earth&#8217;s magnetic field, which traps charged particles from the wind that constantly blows out of the Sun. The inner belt extends from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/content\/goddard\/van-allen-probes-spot-impenetrable-barrier-in-space\">640 to 9,600 kilometers<\/a> (400 to 6,000 miles) in altitude, and the outer belt from about 13,500 to 58,000 kilometers.<\/p>\n<p>This trap is good for our planet; it protects us from the brunt of the solar wind and the charged particles we&#8217;d be pelted with otherwise. But particles can, and do, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/solar-system\/relativistic-electrons-uncovered-with-nasas-van-allen-probes\/\">escape<\/a>. The so-called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esa.int\/Science_Exploration\/Space_Science\/Cluster\/Rise_of_the_Killer_Electrons\">&#8220;killer&#8221; electrons<\/a> are those that have so much energy that they&#8217;re moving at close to the speed of light, or relativistic speed.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_140523\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-140523\" style=\"width: 642px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/images\/2024\/10\/radiation-belts.jpg\" alt=\"Lightning Rips 'Killer Electrons' Out of Earth's Radiation Belt And Hurls Them Into Space\" width=\"642\" height=\"361\" class=\"size-full wp-image-140523\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/images\/2024\/10\/radiation-belts.jpg 642w, https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/images\/2024\/10\/radiation-belts-600x337.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 642px) 100vw, 642px\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-140523\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An illustration of Earth&#8217;s radiation belts trapping particles. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.colorado.edu\/today\/2024\/10\/10\/lightning-strikes-kick-game-electron-pinball-space\">UCLA EPSS\/NASA SVS<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Because they have so much energy, shielding can&#8217;t keep them out; they can penetrate satellites (and there are a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.n2yo.com\/database\/\">lot of them in low-Earth orbit nowadays<\/a>), carrying a charge that risks damaging electronics within <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/nphys703\">and shortening the technologys&#8217; lifespans<\/a>. Uncontrolled killer electrons aren&#8217;t great for human health, either, potentially exposing astronauts to <a href=\"https:\/\/nap.nationalacademies.org\/read\/9725\/chapter\/2\">dangerous doses of cosmic radiation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s worth noting that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kyoto-u.ac.jp\/en\/research-news\/2019-10-07\">we harness high speed electrons for treating cancer<\/a>, too. In general, however, these zippy particles don&#8217;t make for a good time for anything related to humans in their path.<\/p>\n<p>There are processes that can accelerate electrons from more sedate energy levels, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/we-now-know-how-earth-s-radiation-belts-can-be-such-a-powerful-particle-accelerator\">including the solar storms<\/a> generated by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/most-powerful-solar-flare-in-7-years-blasts-earth-expect-stunning-auroras\">flares and coronal mass ejections<\/a> that are so frequent at the peak of the solar activity cycle.<\/p>\n<p>The researchers discovered the connection with lightning by analyzing satellite data that appeared to show clumps of high-energy electrons moving through the inner radiation belt. This was a surprise: the inner radiation belt has traditionally been considered pretty stable and boring.<\/p>\n<p>But when Feinland made a closer study of archival records, he discovered 45 surges of high-energy electrons between 1996 and 2006. And some of these surges could be linked to lightning strikes in Earth&#8217;s atmosphere, occurring less than a second after lightning was recorded.<\/p>\n<p>Lightning is known to generate electromagnetic waves known as <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Whistler_(radio)\">whistler waves<\/a>, which occur in the low frequency radio range of the spectrum. <a href=\"https:\/\/agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1002\/2016JA023263\">Previous research<\/a> suggests that whistler waves rippling through the unstable plasma of the radiation belt can cause electrons to jostle together, with lower-energy electrons transferring energy to higher-energy electrons in a chain reaction that can ultimately produce relativistic killer electrons.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Andreas Mogensen captures gigantic lightning from the International Space Station\" width=\"1170\" height=\"658\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dY5F_gEexAY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe> frameborder=&#8221;0\u2033 allow=&#8221;accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share&#8221; referrerpolicy=&#8221;strict-origin-when-cross-origin&#8221; allowfullscreen&gt;<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The researchers believe that their observations reflect a similar mechanism, with the whistler waves producing surges in killer electrons that bounce between the poles before subsiding.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s unclear how often it occurs, and what specific conditions are needed to trigger it. It&#8217;s possible that solar activity plays a role, and previous research suggests that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/we-now-know-how-earth-s-radiation-belts-can-be-such-a-powerful-particle-accelerator\">plasma density and wave activity<\/a> are also important factors in the generation of relativistic electrons. It&#8217;s going to take a little more work to figure out the different factors at play in lightning-induced killer electrons.<\/p>\n<p>Future observations and analysis would help us better understand the nature of the wave-particle interactions at play.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the findings suggest that astronauts may want to stay safely indoors while it&#8217;s stormy outside. You don&#8217;t want to get caught in a downpour of electron rain.<\/p>\n<p>The research has been published in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-024-53036-4\"><i>Nature Communications<\/i><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencealert.com\/lightning-can-send-killer-electrons-flying-into-space-at-near-light-speed\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lightning storms are some of the most spectacular, wild, and dramatic events our world has to offer \u2013 but the effects are not just directed towards Earth&#8217;s surface. According to &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=116040\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8628],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-116040","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-science","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116040","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=116040"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116040\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=116040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=116040"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=116040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}