---
title: "Scientists Observe Eight-Hour “Space Plasma Hurricane”"
description: "A team of scientists have confirmed the existence of a gigantic 1,000 kilometer-across hurricane swirling hundreds of kilometers above the North Pole."
date: "2021-03-02"
modified: "2021-03-02"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-observe-eight-hour-space-plasma-hurricane"
categories:
  - "Off-World"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "solar wind"
  - "space hurricane"
  - "space weather"
  - "the digest"
---

# Scientists Observe Eight-Hour “Space Plasma Hurricane”

![A team of scientists have confirmed the existence of a gigantic 1,000 kilometer-across hurricane swirling hundreds of kilometers above the North Pole.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/scientists-observe-eight-hour-space-plasma-hurricane.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: University of Reading\</em\>*

## Space Hurricanes

A team of scientists have confirmed the existence of a gigantic, 1,000 kilometer-across "space hurricane" swirling hundreds of kilometers above the North Pole, the [*BBC's Science Focus* reports](<https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/space-hurricane-observed-above-the-north-pole/>).

The team analyzed data in the form of low geomagnetic activity over the North Pole dating back to 2014. What they found was something truly awe-inspiring: an anticlockwise spinning vortex that spewed electrons down at our planet's upper atmosphere for eight long hours.

The new research could help scientists better predict space weather, disturbances in our space environment usually caused by a stream of plasma coming from the Sun that are also referred to as solar winds.

## Swirling Plasma

Space hurricanes aren't too dissimilar from their surface-based equivalents. They are marked by the release of massive amounts of energy, and feature a quiet center.

"This hurricane shows strong circular horizontal plasma flow with shears, a nearly zero-flow center, and a coincident cyclone-shaped aurora caused by strong electron precipitation associated with intense upward magnetic field-aligned currents," the team, led by Shandong University in China, wrote in a paper \[link\] about the work published in the journal *Nature Communications* last month.

## Striking Observations

Scientists suggest that such space hurricanes could be a universal phenomenon that could be found near any planets or moons that have magnetic fields.

"Until now, it was uncertain that space plasma hurricanes even existed," University of Reading space scientist Mike Lockwood, who was not involved in the research, told *Science Focus*. "So to prove this with such a striking observation is incredible."

Understanding these space weather phenomena is important to ensure that Earth- and orbit-based technologies can survive the onslaught of the Sun's plasma. These events can wreak havoc on high frequency radio communications and GPS signals, so becoming better at predicting them can only strengthen our infrastructure.

**READ MORE:**[ ‘Space hurricane’ observed above the North Pole](<https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/space-hurricane-observed-above-the-north-pole/>) \[*Science Focus*\]

**More on space weather:** *[China Is Sending a Mission to Study the Sun](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/china-solar-probe>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)