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THE NOBLE CLUE
from Interplanetary Science

A group of scientists at the University of Manchester run the world’s most sensitive instrument for analysing minute amounts of the gas Xenon, trapped in solid materials. What has motivated them to pursue this seemingly esoteric field, and how does their unusual instrument work?

Article Posted: 22-09-2008

More eyes on the skies
from Ionosphere / Atmosphere

Looking up into space from four sites in Scandinavia, huge radar dishes probe the ionosphere – the ionised gas surrounding Earth – far beyond the orbit of the International Space Station. Ambitious plans are now afoot for the next generation radar, ‘EISCAT-3D’, which will look ra...

Article Posted: 02-08-2008

The quietly corrosive Sun
from Interplanetary Science

The most violent eruptions of particles from the surface of the Sun — known as coronal mass ejections — pose a radiation hazard to astronauts and jet passengers, and knock out power systems. These space weather events commonly occur when the sun is in the most active phase of its...

Article Posted: 22-07-2008

Spotlight on Saturn's Aurorae
from Planetary

A UK team of researchers have discovered a secondary aurora sparkling on Saturn and also started to unravel the mechanisms that drive the process. Their results show that Saturn’s secondary aurora is much more like Jupiter’s in origin than it is the Earth’s.

Article Posted: 02-07-2008

Seeing the northern lights from Britain
from Magnetosphere

A chance glimpse of the northern lights from your back garden is unlikely without some preparation, particularly if you live in Britain. This is where auroral prediction services such as Lancaster University’s AuroraWatch are useful.

Article Posted: 12-04-2008

When is the magnetosphere like an elephant?
from Magnetosphere

The magnetosphere is so vast, it cannot be entirely measured in exact detail. Observations are gathered using a suite of different instruments located onboard spacecraft, or arranged in networks across the surface of the Earth. Rather like in the Article Posted: 07-04-2008