Scientists discover new planet-wide electric field that is fundamental to Earth’s atmosphere
A groundbreaking discovery has revealed a new, planet-wide electric field that is as fundamental to Earth as gravity. Known as the ambipolar electric field, this invisible force begins 150 miles above the planet and plays a crucial role in lifting the sky and influencing polar winds, which in turn help drive weather patterns around the world. For years, scientists had only theorized about the existence of this field, but a team from NASA, including researchers from the University of Leicester, has finally measured it by sending a rocket directly into the field. This discovery adds a third energy field to Earth’s known forces, alongside gravity and the magnetic field, which protects the planet from cosmic radiation. Dr. Glyn Collinson, the principal investigator of the Endurance Mission at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, explains, “Whenever spacecraft have flown over the poles of the Earth, they have encountered this supersonic wind of particles called the polar wind. There had to be some invisible force driving this outflow, but until now, we lacked the technology …
