THEMIS Stories

Observations Around Solar System With Parker Solar Probe’s 7th Solar Encounter

7 min read

During Parker Solar Probe’s seventh swing by the Sun, culminating in its closest solar approach, or perihelion, on Jan. 17, 2021, celestial geometry posed a special opportunity. The configuration of this particular orbit placed Parker Solar Probe on the same…

Article4 years ago

Lunar Gateway Instruments to Improve Weather Forecasting for Artemis Astronauts

5 min read

One of the first things people want to know before taking a trip is what the weather will be like wherever they are headed. For Artemis astronauts traveling on missions to the Moon, two space weather instrument suites, NASA’s HERMES…

Article4 years ago

Aurora Mysteries Unlocked With NASA’s THEMIS Mission

5 min read

A special type of aurora, draped east-west across the night sky like a glowing pearl necklace, is helping scientists better understand the science of auroras and their powerful drivers out in space. Known as auroral beads, these lights often show…

Article4 years ago

In Solar System’s Symphony, Earth’s Magnetic Field Drops the Beat

4 min read

Space isn’t silent. In fact, an entire orchestra of instruments fills our near-Earth environment with eerie sounds. Scientists have long known about space phenomena involving electromagnetic waves travelling around Earth that resonate like string instruments and whistle like wind instruments.…

Article6 years ago

The Case of the Relativistic Particles Solved with NASA Missions

3 min read

Encircling Earth are two enormous rings — called the Van Allen radiation belts — of highly energized ions and electrons. Various processes can accelerate these particles to relativistic speeds, which endanger spacecraft unlucky enough to enter these giant bands of…

Article7 years ago

Pulsating Aurora Mysteries Uncovered with Help from NASA’s THEMIS Mission

3 min read

Sometimes on a dark night near the poles, the sky pulses a diffuse glow of green, purple and red. Unlike the long, shimmering veils of typical auroral displays, these pulsating auroras are much dimmer and less common. While scientists have…

Article7 years ago

All Missions On Board for NASA Heliophysics Research

4 min read

Scientists have been studying the near-Earth environment for the better part of a century, but many mysteries — like where the energetic particles that pervade the area originate and become energized — still remain. In a new type of collaborative…

Article7 years ago

NASA’s THEMIS Sees Auroras Move to the Rhythm of Earth’s Magnetic Field

6 min read

The majestic auroras have captivated humans for thousands of years, but their nature – the fact that the lights are electromagnetic and respond to solar activity – was only realized in the last 150 years. Thanks to coordinated multi-satellite observations…

Article8 years ago