Space Weather: By: Mariah Jackson Geography 1000 Fall Semester The suns “Weather” travels and eventually hits the earths atmosphere; causing potential technological/life threatening affects and or disturbances on earth. It also has helped shown what exactly the earth is “made of” as far as defense and has prompted scientist in their studies of the unknown factors of the sun itself.

The Sun: Our sun will occasionally have its own set of disturbances of ; radiation, atmospheric changes due to location and time, pressure, temperature, and internal infrastructure. The sun is basically gives off a large burst of light and radiation “Solar Flares” which turn into Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) or space weather as they make there path through our galaxy. Coronal Hole: Spots on the sun in which there is a very thin magnetic field that stretch and do not return to their original space and leave a hole for solar particles and solar winds to escape. Solar Flare: A flash of brightness the expels from the sun the holds up a sixth of the suns total energy output. Erupting Prominence: a large bright gaseous feature extending out from the sun in a loop shape that is anchored to the suns photosphere. It will extend outwards until a potential coronal mass ejection occurs (CME) and it breaks away from the sun. This usually contains plasma which is much cooler then the sun and is a darker color. Coronal Mass Ejection: The burst the erupts from the prominence or in an area of mass amounts of Sunspots on the sun and will leave behind a Coronal Hole. This will shoot out gasses/pressure/and mass amounts of heat into the atmosphere in any direction. ( Temp of 3200 Kelvin)

The Travel The Sun is approximately 149 million kilometer away from earths surface (approximately 8 seconds at light speed) When the sun has a solar flare it shoots out; ions, atoms, and other particles into space. It travels with solar wind through the galaxy It can reach a speed of 4 millions miles per hour (reaches earth in about 8 minutes). CME’s break away from the sun in a rapid snap off “ erupting prominence” at a speed of 1,000 KM ( 7 million miles per hour) Like the solar flare a CME will reach earth within 8 minutes but for all of the CME to reach earth completely will take up to 5 days. Solar winds usually tend to go against CME velocity and slow down the speed process.

The Earth The Earth will receive about 1 solar flare per day which are usually miniscule and 1 CME about every 3 or more days. What prevents the earth from receiving a full blown push of ions, atoms, positive electrical charged particles, and radiation is solely our Atmosphere and its magnetic field! The only part space weather seems to effect is the “Ionosphere” layer of our atmosphere which in run can cause communication systems and other various technology interferences. But what usually occurs is the space weather will hit our planets magnetic field and atmosphere in the front and continue to flow to the back side (North to South usually) and the back end of earths magnetic field will shoot the energy back in a rubber band like effect called “Magnetic Reconnecting”. This in turn will cause a disturbance of power or electrically energized particles to burst from its on going path and create a light in our upper atmosphere which we have come to known as the “Aurora lights”. Once this has been completed (last as long as 3 days or as short at 24 hours) the only major effects that have occurred are telecommunication disruption, airline passenger radiation, solar cell damage, potential astronaut safety, plasma bubbles, electricity disruption, earth currents, and radio wave disturbances. A lot of problems but all of these are minuet to what the storms should be able to do if the atmosphere didn’t take the full blown effects.

How/What It affects Earths Atmosphere: The absorption of X-rays increases heat and energy resulting in an expansion of the Earth's ionosphere. “Man-made radio waves travel through this portion of the upper atmosphere, so radio communications can be disturbed by its sudden unpredictable growth” (2). Charged particles from CME will also effect earths atmosphere and electromagnetic field. Astronauts: increased radiation to astronauts and electronics in space. Energetic protons can pass through the human body causing biochemical damage to humans. Galaxy: distributes energetically charged particles into space and in the flow of solar winds to continuously hit other planets. Large amount of heat bursts from the sun and radiation effect the galaxy and other planets that in turn could lead to dangerous side effects. Electronics: Solar flares and CMES effect the Ionosphere of the earth which disturbs with our telecommunication and over all electrical power systems on earth. It causes communication to slow down or ultimately stop, black outs of power, and over charging of power grids along with space crafts that could potentially be lethal to people as well as astronauts.

The Good and The Bad Bad Radiation damage Spacecraft charging Astronauts at risk of bodily damage Creates Geomagnetic storms Can effect orbit life expectancy of satellites Over charging on space crafts can cause system malfunctions. Disrupts with radio/communication/ and electric systems on earth. Without atmosphere it would destroy and prevent life on earth. Good Improvements to satellite and spacecraft construction to endure/function against storms. Produces light auroras Does not directly effect living organisms (humans) Helps to better understand the Suns life cycles and internal make-up.

Examples Biggest solar flare ever recorded was: Carrington Flare of 1859 An example of a one of the strongest solar flares we have had was; August 9,2011 called a “X Flare”; which was not headed in the direction of earth but these “Flares” contain roughly one sixth of the suns total energy output. August 7, 1972, a large solar energetic particle event occurred. If astronauts had been in space at the time, the dose would have been deadly or at least life-threatening.

Conclusion In conclusion Space Weather is a matter to not take lightly as it does involve our bright sun that gives us what we need to survive on our planet. That Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) and Solar flares affect our planet on a weekly if not daily basis. But our earth, atmosphere, and magnetic field is what protects us from over thousands-millions of kelvins of heat and radiation from entering our planet. Key facts: Sun emits to different types of storms: Solar Flares & Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) 1 out of every 5 of the suns storms reach our planet to actually cause any affects. Only the ionosphere of our planet takes the blow from space weather and absorbs the radiation. Magnetic Reconnection is the process when earth takes the storm into its magnetic field, like a rubber-band effect in the front and once it reaches the back side of the earths magnetic field it shoots it back at a much quicker force. Magnetic reconnection is the main cause for aurora lighting on earth. There are still lots of factors and questions to be answered on this subject and is continuously being studied.