Some 7,200 stat mi above Earth , an unseeable shield cloaking our planet is helping to protect us from damaging , super - fast “ killer ” negatron , scientist have found . This Star Trek style cuticle stops these purr electrons in their tracks , preventing them from harming astronaut and frying our artificial satellite .
As described in the journalNature , this inconspicuous barrier is locate within the Van Allen radiation therapy belts . These are twodoughnut - determine ringsaround our planet that extend up to 40,000 kilometre above Earth . The inner geographical zone is full of eminent - energy protons , whereas the out geographical zone is dominated by in high spirits - energy electron .
The protective cuticle was key after scientists from theUniversity of Colorado Boulderanalyzedalmost two years of datagathered by the twin NASA ballistic capsule , the Van Allen Probes , which orbit the ring to keep the behavior of high - energy electron in this sphere .
The data point revealed a sharp bound at the very inner bound of the outer bash that appeared to be deflecting incoming extremely charged electrons , calledultrarelativistic electrons . These molecule whizz along around Earth at near light - f number , travelling at approximately160,000 kilometers per bit . It was wear that these negatron would make asmooth transition , gradually drifting into the upper ambiance before being destroyed by collision with strain particle . However , much to their surprise , a crisp cutoff was follow instead .
“ It ’s almost like these negatron are running into a Methedrine wall in space , ” lead source Professor Daniel Baker said in anews - release . “ Somewhat like the cuticle created by power fields on Star Trek that were used to force back foreign weapons , we are see an invisible shield blocking these electron . It ’s an extremely puzzling phenomenon . ”
To attempt to key this enigmatic force field , the researchersexamined several dissimilar scenariosthat could generate and maintain a barrier of this kind . They deliberate that the Earth ’s magnetised field lines could be somehow snare the electrons in place , or that wireless signal from human gadget on Earth could be somehow dispersing the electron . But with what they were seeing , neither of these explanations made sense .
or else , they propose that a swarm of cold , electrically charged gas bonk as the plasmasphere could be playing a role . This elephantine cloud start just 600 mile above Earth but debase thousands of miles into the outer , gamey - energy electron dominated zone of the Van Allen belt . They pop the question that low-down frequency electromagnetic waves within the cloud which grow a phenomenon known as “ plasmaspheric hiss ” could be scatter the electrons at the bound .
However , the team does n’t remember that the story end there , and wait to find more pieces to the puzzle in the time to come . “ I think the key here is to keep observe the realm in exquisite detail,”said Baker , “ which we can do because of the powerful instrumental role on the Van Allen probes . ”
[ ViaUniversity of Colorado Boulder , Nature , Tech TimesandLA Times ]
