NASA scientists have discovered a new electric field encompassing Earth’s atmosphere, similar to gravity and the magnetic field, which could provide clues about possible life on other planets. Detected by a suborbital rocket launched by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, this weak, planet-wide electric field is responsible for polar winds. The discovery sheds new light on the ionosphere’s role in maintaining atmospheric density at varying altitudes and reveals that hydrogen ions are subjected to an outward force from the electric field that is significantly stronger than gravity.
