00:00Our planet has a magnetic field, which not only protects us from cosmic radiation, but
00:08it also allows things like compasses to work.
00:10However, experts now say they have detected another field surrounding our planet for the
00:14first time, and this one is electric.
00:17They're calling it the M-bipolar field.
00:19It's a weak electric field that has been theorized for over 60 years, but experts were only just
00:23able to measure it recently.
00:25All planets with atmospheres should have one, with astronomers from NASA saying, now that
00:29we finally measured it, we can begin learning how it shaped our planet as well as others
00:33over time.
00:34The field was first noticed when astronauts initially went to space in the 1960s, as a
00:39supersonic jet stream of particles was detected exiting our atmosphere.
00:43However, despite believing it was there, we lacked the tech to measure it, which is why
00:47the Endurance rocket was built.
00:49The rocket and its instruments traveled up to an altitude of just over 477 miles, taking
00:54measurements.
00:55So how strong is Earth's third field?
00:58They say it only measures 0.55 volts, or about one-third the power of a AA battery.
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