NASA's Parker Solar Probe captures magnetic reconnection launching charged particles
NASA's Parker Solar Probe just got up close and personal with the Sun and finally caught how solar storms kick off.
The probe spotted magnetic field lines snapping and reconnecting, which launch charged particles out into space at near light speed.
This is a big deal because those storms can mess with our satellites and even cause power outages back on Earth.
Heliospheric Current Sheet origin, particles differ
Digging into 2022 data, scientists found these storms actually begin in a region called the Heliospheric Current Sheet.
Even cooler: not all particles act the same (protons spread out using plasma waves they make themselves, while heavier ions shoot straight through).
This challenges old models that thought all particles behaved alike and could help us predict space weather better in the future.