Large Plasma Tubes Confirmed to Exist *Above* The Earth's Atmosphere
>
http://io9.gizmodo.com/large-plasma-tubes-confirmed-to-exist-above-the-earths-1708434105
> For over six decades, scientists have speculated about the existence
> of plasma structures that reside in the magnetosphere’s inner layers.
> Researchers in Australia have now created 3D images of these tubes
> for the very first time, proving they’re quite real.
>
> This is an important discovery for a number of reasons. First, these
> structures are the likely cause of unwanted signal distortions
> affecting both civilian and military satellite-based navigation
> systems. The discovery is also offering an unprecedented glimpse of
> the odd plasma formations that arise in the Earth’s atmosphere; it’s
> the first time scientists have directly observed these tubes over a
> large scale and mapped their shape.
> The Earth’s magnetosphere — the magnetic field surrounding the Earth
> — is inundated with plasma, i.e. ionized gas consisting of positive
> ions and free electrons in proportions that produce no electric
> charge. This plasma is produced when the atmosphere is ionized by
> incoming sunlight. The innermost layer of the magnetosphere is called
> the ionosphere, and above it resides the plasmasphere. Plasma
> structures take on a variety of strange forms within these regions —
> including the now-documented plasma tubes.
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