Scientists have learned that space hurricanes occur on Earth

Space hurricanes occur in the earth’s upper atmosphere, researchers at Shandong University in China said.

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They analyzed a strange “vortex” of plasma that appeared over the North Pole on August 20, 2014. This unusual phenomenon was documented as “a relatively stable state of the northern interplanetary magnetic field,” in fact, it turned out to be the same cosmic hurricane that occurs on Mars, Saturn and Jupiter, according to a study published in Nature Communications.

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During the cosmic hurricane, the “cloud” of plasma extended for a thousand kilometers and rained of electrons. The cosmic hurricane rotated counterclockwise and lasted for about eight hours, after which it dissipated.

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Until recently, such phenomena were not observed in the Earth’s ionosphere. This is the first documented case.

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Similar hurricanes can occur on all planets and moons where there are magnetic fields and plasma, scientists say. On Earth, they can disrupt navigation and communication systems.

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