SPACE WEATHER

WHAT IS SPACE WEATHER ?

"Conditions on the Sun and in the solar wind, magnetosphere, ionosphere and thermosphere that can influence the performance and reliability of space-borne and ground-based technological systems and can endanger human life or health.”

Current EventsSunday, April 14, 2013 @7:30pmSolar wind

•speed:

•441.8 km/sec

•density:

•4.3 protons/cm3

http:www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.eiu.solarwind/

The Sun produces a solar wind — a continuous flow of charged particles — that can affect us on Earth. It can, for example, disrupt communications, navigation systems, and satellites. Solar activity can also cause power outages, such as the extensive Canadian blackout in 1989.

Solar wind

Effects on the EarthThe effects of solar winds on the earth that are visible to naked eye are the Aurora Borealis (the Northern lights) at the North Pole and the Aurora Australis (he Southern Lights) at the South Pole. The fiery tail seen attached to comets is the effect of solar winds visible to the naked eye.

Read more: How Do Solar Winds Affect the Earth? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4566990_solar-winds-affect-earth.html#ixzz2QVJR54ns

Solar wind

• In 1998, the backup files of the heavily used communication satellite Galaxy were destroyed by a geomagnetic storm in outer space caused by solar winds, consequently halting the service to of 45 million pagers.

• Solar winds are highly destructive magnetically charged high energy winds. Satellite communication on earth and the occasional geomagnetic storm near the poles are the main disruptive effects caused by solar winds on planet earth.

VIDEO of Space Weather

http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/spaceweather/

Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble

While our Sun does give us a steady stream of warmth and light, it also has weather that is turbulent and dynamic, provoking the cosmic equivalent of winds, clouds, waves, precipitation, and storms...

CME IMPACT

One of the most important solar events from Earth's perspective is the coronal mass ejection (CME), the solar equivalent of a hurricane. A CME is the eruption of a huge bubble of plasma from the Sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona...

CME IMPACT A coronal mass ejection (CME) swept past Earth on April 13th around 22:55 UT. The impact rattled Earth's magnetic field and induced electrical currents in the ground around the Arctic Circle. Rob Stammes recorded the effects of the impact from a geophysical monitoring station at the Polar Light Center in Lofoten, Norway.

CME IMPACT

• "On my instruments there was a clear signature of the incoming coronal mass ejection," says Stammes. "The impact was not as strong as expected, but there were nice variations on my magnetometer and ground current instruments. There were also Northern Lights.”

• So far geomagnetic activity resulting from the impact has fallen short of storm levels, but this could change as Earth passes through the wake of the CME. High, latitude sky watchers should remain alert for auroras. on April 13-14, 2013.

Auroras

Aside from bright auroras, there are other less benevolent effects of the connection between Sun and Earth. There are bright auroras that are a visible sign that the balance of electrical and magnetic (2.4M MPEG) energy in Earth's magnetosphere has been upset.

With the average CME dumping about 1500 Gigawatts of electricity into the atmosphere (double the power generating capacity of the entire United States), big changes can occur in our space.

w.youtube.com/watch?

v=e0tqmrZn6kY

A magnetosphere is the volume of space around an astronomical object that is controlled by that object's magnetic field. The Earth's magnetosphere is the cavity formed by the Earth's magnetic field in the flow of plasma or solar.

Jupiter's Magnetosphere

The magnetosphere has allowed for life to flourish on Earth, as without it the extremely hot, solar wind would constantly be blasting into the surface of the Earth.

It also protects us from the (CME) or solar flares.

Ionosphere

The ionized part of the Earth's atmosphere is its ionosphere. Ultraviolet light from the sun hits atoms in this region knocking electrons loose. It is the free electrons that cause the reflection and absorption of radio waves. The high frequency waves pass through the ionosphere on Earth and escape into space while the low frequency waves reflect off the ionosphere and essentially "skip" around the earth.

Ionosphere

• H.F. (High Frequency 3 to 30MHz)

Long Range communications. Shipping, Aircraft, World Broadcast Communications, Radio Amateurs___Use involves reflecting the signal off the ionosphere back down to waiting receiving stations. Prone to atmospheric changes causing fading and noise: Range from 500 to thousands of Kilometers.

• V.H.F. (Very High Frequency 30 - 300 MHz)

Medium range communications. Fleet vehicles, mobile, coastal shipping and air to tower communications: Range 70-100km (aircraft several hundred km).

• U.H.F (Ultra High Frequency 300-3000 MHz)

This is the domain of such things as Police handheld radios, cell-phones, T.V., and spacecraft to ground communications. In the high U.H.F. range the signal can "bounce" off buildings and reflect until it is detected by a receiver.

Thermosphere

The thermosphere is the highest layer of air above Earth's surface with

temperatures higher than 1830°F (1000°C).

In the thermosphere, oxygen molecules

absorb the energy from the Sun's rays, which results in the warming of the air.

The upper thermosphere contains atoms and molecules of oxygen, nitrogen and helium gases, but the density of these gases are very low.

Because the air density in the thermosphere is very low, it is the ideal altitude for the space shuttle and the International Space Station to establish orbit. However, the heating and expansion of the thermosphere creates some variance in the drag on these satellites, so they must continually adjust their heights.

Thermosphere

The thermosphere's atoms and molecules become electrically charged due to radiation from the sun and this charge can be used to bounce radio waves off the particles of the thermosphere.

This makes it possible for radio waves to be received beyond the line of sight or past the visible horizon.

 When is the best time to see auroras? Where is the best place to go? And how do you photograph them? Northern Lights - a Guide, by Pal Brekke & Fredrik Broms.

What's up in space?

Resource

Resource: web links

NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center

The official U.S. government space weather bureau

Atmospheric Optics

The first place to look for information about sundogs, pillars, rainbows and related phenomena.

Solar Dynamics Observatory

Researchers call it a "Hubble for the sun." SDO is the most advanced solar observatory ever.

STEREO

3D views of the sun from NASA's Solar and Terrestrial Relations Observator

Resource: web links

• Read more: How Do Solar Winds Affect the Earth? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4566990_solar-winds-affect-earth.html#ixzz2QVLUttI

• Heliophysics The underlying science of space weather

• Space Weather Alerts