However, there’s a catch. Before electrons can be accelerated by these shock waves, they need to contain a certain amount of energy to begin with. Nobody knows how electrons gain this initial energy.

For decades, scientists have been trying to answer a crucial question in space physics ... upstream of Earth's bow shock, on December 17, 2017. During this event, electrons in Earth's foreshock ...

For decades, scientists have been trying to answer a crucial question in space physics ... upstream of Earth's bow shock, on December 17, 2017. During this event, electrons in Earth's foreshock ...