Scientists have discovered a new source of super-fast, energetic electrons raining down on Earth's atmosphere, a phenomenon that contributes to the colorful ...
"Although space is commonly thought to be separate from our upper atmosphere, the two are inextricably linked," Angelopoulos said. This effectively stretches out the electrons' travel path so much that they fall out of the belts and precipitate into the atmosphere, creating the electron rain. "ELFIN is the first satellite to measure these super-fast electrons," said Xiaojia Zhang, lead author and a researcher in UCLA's department of Earth, planetary and space sciences.