Astronomy and planetary science articles within Nature Physics

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  • News & Views |

    High-cadence images link the phenomena required for particle acceleration at the Sun. A plasmoid-driven shock wave accelerates electrons in intermittent bursts.

    • Edward W. Cliver

  • Article |

    A combination of measurements from the Solar Dynamics Observatory and radiospectroscopy data from the Nançay Radioheliograph now details the mechanism that connects coronal mass ejections from the sun and the acceleration of particles to relativistic speeds. A spatial and temporal correlation between a coronal ‘bright front’ and radio emissions associated with electron acceleration demonstrates the fundamental relationship between the two.

    • Eoin P. Carley
    • , David M. Long
    •  & Peter T. Gallagher

  • Letter |

    The Van Allen radiation belts are two rings of charged particles encircling the Earth. Therefore the transient appearance in 2012 of a third ring between the inner and outer belts was a surprise. A study of the ultrarelativistic electrons in this middle ring reveals new physics for particles above 2 MeV.

    • Yuri Y. Shprits
    • , Dmitriy Subbotin
    •  & Kyung-Chan Kim

  • Editorial |

    The remarkable space telescope reveals true colours — and a new moon.

  • News & Views |

    Observations from NASA's Solar Dynamic Observatory provide compelling evidence for the central role of magnetic reconnection in solar flares.

    • Terry G. Forbes

  • Letter |

    Extreme ultraviolet and X-ray imaging of a solar flare with unprecedented clarity now provide visual evidence that magnetic reconnection plays a fundamental role in generating solar flares. The Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory is able to observe a ’cold’ plasma moving into the reconnection point and the simultaneous acceleration of a hot-flare-heated plasma away from it.

    • Yang Su
    • , Astrid M. Veronig
    •  & Weiqun Gan

  • Letter |

    Gamma-ray bursts are the most energetic sources of radiation in the Universe, and half are followed by afterglows that include X-ray flares of mysterious origin. A statistical study of such X-ray flares reveals the same power-law behaviour as solar flares, which suggests a common underlying magnetic reconnection process.

    • F. Y. Wang
    •  & Z. G. Dai

  • Commentary |

    Any ambitious construction project requires architects and engineers. As research shifts towards large groups that focus on the engineering aspects of linking data to existing models, architectural skills are becoming rare among young theorists.

    • Abraham Loeb

  • Letter |

    Magnetic reconnection in the Earth's magnetosphere accelerates electrons. And yet energetic electrons are not created during reconnection in the solar wind. Observations from the Cluster spacecraft now suggest that electron acceleration is caused by repeated bursts of plasma flow, which only occur in situations where the magnetic reconnection is unsteady.

    • H. S. Fu
    • , Yu. V. Khotyaintsev
    •  & M. André

  • News & Views |

    Comparing quantitative calculations of the magnetic field decay of neutron stars and their corresponding spin evolution with observations suggests a high degree of disorder in the inner crust, which might provide evidence for nuclear 'pasta'.

    • William G. Newton

  • Article |

    A pulsar is a rotating neutron star that beams out electromagnetic waves. The absence of isolated X-ray pulsars with periods longer than 12 s could be a clue to the structural composition of a neutron star’s crust, as simulations show that an amorphous layer would prevent a pulsar from spinning down.

    • José A. Pons
    • , Daniele Viganò
    •  & Nanda Rea

  • Research Highlights |

    • May Chiao

  • News & Views |

    Observations made by the Cassini spacecraft at the bow shock of Saturn suggest that electrons are likely to be accelerated to near-relativistic energies by strong astrophysical shocks.

    • Ian G. Richardson

  • Letter |

    Data from the Cassini spacecraft identify strong electron acceleration as the solar wind approaches the magnetosphere of Saturn. This so-called bow shock unexpectedly occurs even when the magnetic field is roughly parallel to the shock-surface normal. Knowledge of the magnetic dependence of electron acceleration will aid understanding of supernova remnants.

    • A. Masters
    • , L. Stawarz
    •  & M. K. Dougherty

  • Editorial |

    Sir Patrick Moore, presenter of The Sky at Night for 55 years, has died.

  • Editorial |

    It's been a good month for astronomical discovery and innovation.

  • Letter |

    The so-called braking index calculated for the spin-down of rotating neutron stars, or pulsars, doesn’t tally well with observations. But a model accounting for a changing moment of inertia, as an increasing fraction of the stellar core becomes superfluid, can explain the rotational evolution of young pulsars.

    • Wynn C. G. Ho
    •  & Nils Andersson

  • News & Views |

    A sophisticated model of the birth and early evolution of coronal mass ejections could lead to better forecast of the 'weather' in space.

    • Stefaan Poedts

  • Article |

    Sudden bursts of charged particles emitted from the surface of the Sun can disrupt the satellites orbiting Earth. However, the mechanisms that drive these so-called coronal mass ejections remain unclear. An advanced computer model now establishes a link between the onset of an ejection and the emergence of magnetic flux into the solar atmosphere.

    • Ilia I. Roussev
    • , Klaus Galsgaard
    •  & Jun Lin

  • Research Highlights |

    • Iulia Georgescu

  • Editorial |

    The bid to host the world's largest, most sensitive radio telescope has ended in a tie.

  • Editorial |

    Two big-science projects — the Large Hadron Collider and the Planck satellite — are set to deliver major results in the coming year.

  • News & Views |

    Geomagnetic storms driven by the solar wind can cause the flux of high-energy electrons in the Earth's Van Allen belts to rapidly fall. Analysis of data obtained during one such event from multiple spacecraft located at different altitudes in the magnetosphere reveals just where these electrons go.

    • Mary K. Hudson

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