ESA Science & Technology - Turbulent swirls in the solar wind

A 2D vision of the solar wind turbulence at the smallest scale seen yet, thanks to observations by Cluster spacecraft. The approximate location of the measurements are indicated on a graphic illustrating features of Earth's magnetic environment. The inset shows conditions as would be seen facing the solar wind, with current sheets forming at the border of turbulent eddies. The trajectory of the Cluster spacecraft is marked on the inset by the black line and the colour gradients represent the magnetic field strength intensity from 4.8 nT (darkest shades) to 5.2 nT (white).