Cluster watches Earth's leaky atmosphere

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This artists impression shows electrically charged oxygen hydrogen and helium atoms (ions) leaking into space from the Earth atmosphere over the poles. ESAs Cluster mission discovered that this accelerated escape is driven by changes in direction of ...
This artist's impression shows electrically charged oxygen, hydrogen and helium atoms (ions) leaking into space from the Earth atmosphere, over the poles. ESA's Cluster mission discovered that this accelerated escape is driven by changes in direction of the Earth own magnetic field. Credits: NASA/ESA
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Oxygen is constantly leaking out of Earth’s atmosphere and into space. Now, ESA’s formation-flying quartet of satellites, Cluster, has discovered the physical mechanism that is driving the escape. It turns out that the Earth’s own magnetic field is accelerating the oxygen away.


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