Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Detecting the Magnetic Fields of Exoplanets May Help Determine Habitability

Detecting the Magnetic Fields of Exoplanets May Help Determine Habitability:
An artist's conception of two magnetic fields interacting in a bow shock. Image credit: NASA
An artist’s conception of a planet’s magnetosphere interacting with a stellar wind. The result is a clear blow shock, seen as the dark blue bubble. Image credit: NASA
Astronomers may soon be able to observe the shockwaves between the magnetic fields of exoplanets and the flow of particles from the stars they orbit.
Magnetic fields are crucial to a planet’s (and as it turns out a moon’s) habitability. They act as protective bubbles, preventing harmful space radiation from stripping away the object’s atmosphere entirely and even reaching the surface.
(...)
Read the rest of Detecting the Magnetic Fields of Exoplanets May Help Determine Habitability (498 words)

© Shannon Hall for Universe Today, 2013. |Permalink |No comment |
Post tags: , ,

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

No comments:

Post a Comment