Earth\u2019s magnetic field protects the planet\u2019s atmosphere from the solar wind, which consists of charged particles released by the sun\u2019s magnetic field. The interaction between the sun and Earth\u2019s magnetic fields sometimes cause storms of explosive nature in the space near Earth. Understanding these interactions is important to help protect and improve the performance of satellites. NASA\u2019s Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission\u2019s results have provided the first direct and detailed observation of magnetic reconnection, a phenomenon which occurs when two opposing magnetic field lines break and reconnect with each other, and release copious amounts of energy as a result. The most important understanding derived from the MMS mission is that \u201creconnection is a major driving force behind events such as solar flares, coronal mass ejections, magnetic storms, and the auroras observed at both the North and South poles of Earth.\u201d According to Marc Swisdak, an associate research scientist in UMD’s Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics, \u201cUnderstanding reconnection is relevant to a whole range of scientific questions in solar physics and astrophysics.\u201d<\/p>\n