Scientist knew that the solar wind reacted with our atmosphere and magnetosphere to create plasma. Terrestrial radio engineers knew about weird high-altitude interference. Radio astronomers experienced wasted hours of corrupted signal due to unknown sources. This article tells a story from 2015 when a graduate student brought together a multidisciplinary team to solve a mystery and create a new level of understanding that helps us communicate and explore more effectively.
The image used is A 3D visualization of the plasma tubes conforming to the Earth’s magnetic field. CAASTRO, provided by Tara Murphy, University of Sydney to theconversation.com. I am presuming fair use in the display of this image on my site. No breach of copyright (if any exists) is intended.