The Dangers of Solar Storms and Solar Cycles

The Sun: Composition

For every 1 million atoms of hydrogen in the entire sun 98,000 atoms of helium 850 of oxygen 360 of carbon 120 of neon 110 of nitrogen 40 of magnesium 35 of iron 35 of silicon

The Sun: Composition

Plasma Gas whose temperature is so hot it

becomes sensitive to magnetism Ionized due to high temperatures

The Sun: Energy Output

Most energy is lost to electromagnetic radiation Visible light Infrared

Particle radiation also emits energy Flares and coronal mass ejections release

intense concentrations of energetic particles

Hazardous to astronauts in orbit and satellites

The Sun: Magnetic Field

The sun’s magnetic field resembles that of a bar magnet

Field gets distorted by two things Sun rotates more rapidly at the equator The inner parts of the sun rotate more

rapidly than the surface

The Sun: Magnetic Field

Magnetic concentration: thousands of times stronger Creates loops in the solar atmosphere Sunspots form at the points where the

loops cross the surface The number of sunspots depends on

the distortion of the field lines Sunspot cycle lasts approx. 11 years Field switches polarity with each cycle

What are TheyWhat Causes ThemEtc.

MinimumsMaximumsEtc.

Impact on CommunicationsEarth’s Magnetic FieldEtc.

Overview

Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)

Launch date: 1995The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory's spectrographs and cameras have provided much of what we know about space weather and solar physics today.

Location in orbit (L1 position) What Where When Why How

Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO)

Launch date: 2006A pair of satellites, the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory, will generate the first 3-D views of solar flares and coronal mass ejections and will predict which events threaten Earth.

What Where When Why How

Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE)

What Where When Why How

Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Launch date: 2008 NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory will observe processes like convection and sunspot formation,

with the goal of predicting solar storms weeks before they erupt. What Where When Why How

Solar Sentinel Launch date: 2015 Four satellites in Solar Sentinel will fly in varying orbits around the sun, monitoring a solar storm's

path all the way to Earth. A fifth orbiter will watch the far side of the sun. What Where When Why How

Basic Calculation Related to Solar Storms Wavelength/Energy Related Speed at which CME Travels Something Related to 11.3 yr cycle Nuclear Calculation Solar Storm Magnetic Energy Required to

Produce X Amps of Current in an Alaskan Pipeline

Something about Increased Corrosion Rate

Team Gemini