NASA’s Endurance rocket has confirmed the existence of a long-hypothesized ambipolar electric field surrounding Earth.

Launched from Norway’s Svalbard in May 2022, the rocket detected this weak electric field, which is believed to influence the polar wind and contribute to Earth’s unique atmospheric conditions.

The field’s detection, reported in Nature, shows an electric potential change of just 0.55 volts, sufficient to drive the polar wind and impact Earth’s magnetosphere, Gizmodo has reported.

This discovery could also shed light on why Earth’s atmosphere remains hospitable compared to other planets like Venus and Mars.

Written by B.C. Begley