09/28/2026
By Lynne Schaufenbil
Please join the Lowell Center for Space Science and Technology for a talk by Alex Glocer titled "Observing and Modeling the Escape of Ionospheric Plasma."
- Date: Thursday, Oct. 1
- Time: 11 a.m.
Abstract
Planetary magnetospheres are composed of plasma from both internal and external sources. The external source is the solar wind, while internal sources include the planet’s atmosphere and sometimes, as in the case of Jupiter and Saturn, their satellites. In this presentation, we first examine the relative importance of these sources to magnetospheric dynamics. We then highlight the Storm Time O+ Ring Current Imaging Evolution (STORIE) mission, recently launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on May 15, 2026. This mission provides continuous space weather imaging through remote sensing of trapped plasma in Earth’s inner magnetosphere via Energetic Neutral Atoms (ENAs). The mission focuses on observing the evolution of the heavy ion population, which originates as cold plasma in the ionosphere before being accelerated to form the higher-energy population in the magnetosphere. We will overview the mission's current science status and present first light results. Finally, we explore the universality of the physical processes involved in accelerating plasma out of the ionosphere, using modeling to show how similar ionospheric outflows exist in planets as disparate in size and composition as Earth and Jupiter.
If you would like to attend, please contact Lynne_Schaufenbil@uml.edu.