If compasses were around a million years ago, they would not have pointed toward North. That's because the Earth's magnetic field likely underwent a reversal 800,000 years ago. picked by AutumnLotus 3 years ago

When the magnetic poles reverse, a number of changes will probably occur. Communications and navigational equipment, even the composition of the atmosphere could all be affected. The reversals happen on the average every 200k years. It has been 400k years since the last one. And a year since the last omg warning. :-) picked by 2manyusernames 1 year ago

Who are we to disagree?
New evidence points to dreams being affected by the localized magnetic field of the Earth. This is also backed up by studies showing melatonin levels are affected by geomagnetic fields and that taking melatonin supplements can alter one's dreams. picked by bernardblack 8 months ago

Oxygen is constantly leaking out of Earth’s atmosphere and into space. Now, ESA’s formation-flying quartet of satellites, Cluster, has discovered the physical mechanism that is driving the escape. It turns out that the Earth’s own magnetic field is accelerating the oxygen away. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

NASA-supported scientists have realized that something does happen every month when the Moon gets a lashing from Earth's magnetic tail. "Earth's magnetotail extends well beyond the orbit of the Moon and, once a month, the Moon orbits through it," says Tim Stubbs. "This can have consequences ranging from lunar 'dust storms' to electrostatic discharges." picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Recently, researchers from the Hahn-Meitner-Institute (HMI) in Berlin in cooperation with University of Applied Sciences in Berlin have succeeded, for the first time, in a direct, three-dimensional visualisation of magnetic fields inside solid, non-transparent materials. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Police in Switzerland managed to discover a two-acre field of marijuana while using Google Earth as part of an investigation. Growers, you may be able to hide your goods from police in fields of corn, but you can't hide from the all-seeing eyes of Google. picked by Bornbad 10 months ago

A dwarf star with a surprisingly magnetic personality and a huge hot spot covering half its surface area is showing astronomers that life as a cool dwarf is not necessarily as simple and quiet as they once assumed. Simultaneous observations made by four of the most powerful Earth- and space-based telescopes revealed an unusually active magnetic field on the ultracool low-mass star TVLM513-46546. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

The scientists lead by Dr. Carsten Hucho found a way to move smallest possible magnetic entities – so-called flux quanta – with the help of acoustic waves. Their results may open new ways to process data. picked by AutumnLotus 3 years ago

The Earth's protective magnetosphere has two large holes that are letting in disruptive solar winds, scientists said. picked by AutumnLotus 12 months ago

There are many interactions between the Sun and the Earth but one of the most dynamic events is a ‘substorm’ - an explosive reshaping of the Earth’s outer magnetic field.

Video included. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

An international group of astronomers reported today that they have discovered that the Sun-like star tau Bootis flipped its magnetic field from north to south sometime during the last year. It has been known for many years that the Sun's magnetic field changes its direction every 11 years, but this is this is the first time that such a change has been observed in another star. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

The first global map of magnetic peculiarities - or anomalies - on Earth has been assembled by an international team of researchers. Scientists hope to use the map to learn more about the geological composition of our planet. picked by 2manyusernames 2 years ago

So how have these rocks hung onto their magnetic directions and what do they tell us about Mars? Strangely, the answer to these questions might be sitting here on Earth. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Nice picture, superb shape, clear and clean sensation. picked by niceplime 3 years ago

Moon rocks delivered to Earth by Apollo astronauts held a mystery that has plagued scientists since the 1970s: Why were the lunar rocks magnetic?

Earth's rotating, iron core produces the planet's magnetic field. But the moon does not have such a setup. picked by AutumnLotus 11 months ago

Long-lived magnetic fields are sustaining a mammoth network of spaghetti-like gas filaments around a black hole, a new study suggests. Previously, it was not clear what prevented the delicate filaments from being destroyed by competing gravitational forces. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

Physicists in Netherlands and Japan are the first to flip the value of a magnetic memory bit by firing a very short pulse of circularly-polarized laser light at it. Unlike other magneto-optic data storage systems, no external magnetic field was required to flip the bit, which meant that its value could be changed about 50 thousand times faster than the fastest conventional memory. The result could... read full post picked by ogri2003 2 years ago

New scientific evidence suggests that deep inside the planet Mercury, iron “snow” forms and falls toward the center of the planet, much like snowflakes form in Earth’s atmosphere and fall to the ground. The movement of this iron snow could be responsible for Mercury’s mysterious magnetic field. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Three years ago, local property owners mowed the words "Bush Be Gone" into their field. They were recently surprised to learn that if their address is typed into Google Earth, the message appears even though the field grew in long ago. picked by hisidea 2 years ago