Scientists Detect Electric Shield Around Earth

Scientists have recently detected electric shield around Earth (A discovery that has long been hypothesized but only now confirmed). This invisible and weak energy field known as ambipolar field was first suggested more than 60 years ago.

What is Ambipolar Field?

Ambipolar field is an electric field that exists around our planet. For a long time, it was only a theoretical concept, meaning scientists thought it might exist but hadn’t actually seen or measured it until now.

It is a major breakthrough that this electric shield has been discovered. It will change how researchers look at and understand behavior and evolution of Earth. Through investigating ambipolar field, scientists can learn more about Earth’s atmosphere & how it interacts with space, providing new perspectives on the dynamic character of our planet.

Astronomer Glyn Collinson from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center explains, “Any planet with an atmosphere should have an ambipolar field. Now that we’ve measured it, we can begin to understand how it has influenced Earth and other planets over time.”

Earth is not just a static mass floating in space. It is surrounded by several important fields. First, there is the gravity field. Gravity is crucial because it holds the atmosphere close to the planet’s surface. Even though we know a lot about gravity, there’s still much to learn about it. Without gravity, we wouldn’t have a planet as we know it.

Second, there is a magnetic field on Earth. Inside of the planet conducting material movement produces this field. These materials create an outward-extending magnetic field as they move. Because it protects Earth from solar wind & dangerous radiation, its magnetic field is important. Moreover, it keeps atmosphere from going away into space.

In 1968, scientists discovered something we couldn’t see until space exploration began. Spacecraft flying over Earth’s poles found a supersonic wind of particles escaping from atmosphere. The best explanation for this phenomenon was the existence of a third electric energy field, known as the ambipolar field.

Astronomer Glyn Collinson explains, “The ambipolar field acts like agent of chaos. It counteracts gravity and helps strip particles away into space.” However, until recently, we didn’t have the technology to measure this field. To solve this- scientists built the Endurance rocket ship to search for this elusive force.

Here’s how the ambipolar field is thought to work: Starting around 250 kilometers (155 miles) above Earth in the ionosphere, extreme ultraviolet and solar radiation ionize atmospheric atoms. This process breaks off negatively charged electrons, leaving behind positively charged ions. The lighter electrons attempt to escape into space, while the heavier ions move towards Earth. To maintain balance, an electric field forms between the electrons and ions, pulling them together.

This electric field or ambipolar field, operates in both directions: ions pull downward and electrons pull upward. This interaction helps puff up the atmosphere, allowing some ions to escape into space which is visible as the polar wind.

The ambipolar field is very weak, so Collinson and his team designed special instruments to detect it. They launched the Endurance mission in May 2022 and the rocket reached an altitude of 768.03 kilometers (477.23 miles) before returning to Earth with crucial data.

The mission succeeded in measuring a change in electric potential of just 0.55 volts—barely stronger than a watch battery. Despite its small size, this measurement was enough to explain the polar wind. The amount of charge detected is sufficient to lift hydrogen ions into space at supersonic speeds and to increase density of oxygen ions in ionosphere by 271 percent at high altitudes.

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This discovery is just the beginning. We don’t yet know the full impact of the ambipolar field, how long it has existed, or how it has influenced Earth’s evolution and atmosphere, and possibly even life on our planet. ]

Collinson says, “This field is a fundamental part of the way Earth works. Now that we’ve measured it, we can start asking bigger and more exciting questions.”