Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission
Glossary
- Alpha Particles
-
Particles pertaining or linked to the carbon atom closest to a particular group
in an organic molecule
- Anti-Parallel
-
Of two vectors pointing in opposite directions
- Aurora
-
A luminous atmospheric phenomenon appearing as streamers or bands of light
sometimes visible in the night sky in northern or southern regions of the
earth. It is thought to be cause by charged particles from the sun entering the
earth's magnetic field and stimulating molecules in the atmosphere
- Cassiopeia A
-
The remnant of an exploding star in the constellation Cassiopeia
- Earth Currents
-
Very low-density electrical currents that can be detected in the soil
- Energetic Particles
-
A very small piece of solid matter that possesses, exerts, or displays energy
- Energization Process
-
Solar wind electromotive forcing (such that ionospheric ions are accelerated by
an externally applied solar wind electric field)
- Geospace Environment
-
The environment of space around the Earth
- Interface
-
A surface regarded as the common boundary of two bodies, spaces, or phases.
Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission
- Magnetic Acceleration
-
The rate of change of velocity with respect to time of magnetic forces
- Magnetic Field
-
A region of space near a magnet, electric current, or moving charged particle
in which a magnetic force acts on any other magnet, electric current, or moving
charged particle
- Magnetic Reconnection
-
A phenomenon by which magnetic fields lines get interconnected and reconfigure
themselves
- Magnetic Turbulence
-
Magnetic forces unstable in the atmosphere
- Magnetometer
-
An instrument for measuring the magnitude and direction of a magnetic field
- Magnetometry
-
An instrument for measuring the intensity of a magnetic field
- Magnetopause
-
The outer boundary of the magnetosphere
- Magnetosphere
-
The magnetic field of a planet; the volume around the planet in which charged
particles are subject more to the planet's magnetic field than to the solar
magnetic field
- Magnetotail
-
The narrow and elongated region of the magnetosphere of the earth or of another
planet that extends in the direction away from the sun
- MMS
-
Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission
- Plasma
-
A highly ionized gas containing an approximately equal number of positive ions
and electrons; the fourth state of matter
- Radiation
-
Energy that is radiated or transmitted in the form of rays or waves or
particles
- SMART
-
Solving Magnetospheric Acceleration, Reconnection, and Turbulence
- Solar Flare
-
A sudden eruption of hydrogen gas on the surface of the sun, usually associated
with sunspots and accompanied by a burst of ultraviolet radiation that is often
followed by a magnetic disturbance
- Solar Wind
-
An emanation from the sun's corona consisting of a flow of charged particles,
mainly electrons and protons, that interacts with the magnetic field of the
earth and other planetary bodies
- Van Allen Belts
-
Consists of highly energetic ionized particles trapped in the Earth's
geomagnetic fields