Extreme space weather events can significantly impact systems such as satellites, communications systems, power distribution and aviation. They are driven by solar activity which is known to have an irregular but roughly 11 year cycle. By devising a new, regular ‘sun clock’, researchers have found that the switch on and off of periods of high solar activity is quite sharp, and…
Tag: space weather
Speed of space storms key to protecting astronauts and satellites from radiation
Space weather forecasters need to predict the speed of solar eruptions, as much as their size, to protect satellites and the health of astronauts, scientists have found. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-06-space-storms-key-astronauts-satellites.html…
NASA CubeSat mission to gather vital space weather data
NASA has selected a new pathfinding CubeSat mission to gather data not collected since the agency flew the Dynamics Explorer in the early 1980s. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-05-nasa-cubesat-mission-vital-space.html…
NASA selects mission to study causes of giant solar particle storms
NASA has selected a new mission to study how the Sun generates and releases giant space weather storms—known as solar particle storms—into planetary space. Not only will such information improve understanding of how our solar system works, but it ultimately can help protect astronauts traveling to the Moon and Mars by providing better information on how the Sun’s radiation affects the…
Space weather model gives earlier warning of satellite-killing radiation storms
A new machine-learning computer model accurately predicts damaging radiation storms caused by the Van Allen belts two days prior to the storm, the most advanced notice to date, according to a new paper in the journal Space Weather. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-03-space-weather-earlier-satellite-killing-storms.html…
New space weather advisories serve aviation
A new international advisory system is working to keep aircraft crew and passengers safe from space weather impacts, thanks in part to the efforts of a team of CIRES and NOAA developers, forecasters, and scientists in Boulder, Colorado. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-02-space-weather-advisories-aviation.html…
Ten things we’ve learned about the sun from NASA’s SDO this decade
In February 2020, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory—SDO—is celebrating its 10th year in space. Over the past decade the spacecraft has kept a constant eye on the sun, studying how the sun creates solar activity and drives space weather—the dynamic conditions in space that impact the entire solar system, including Earth. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-02-ten-weve-sun-nasa-sdo.html…
Solar Orbiter set to launch in mission to reveal Sun’s secrets
The US-European Solar Orbiter probe launches Sunday night from Florida on a voyage to deepen our understanding of the Sun and how it shapes the space weather that impacts technology back on Earth. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-02-orbiter-mission-reveal-sun-secrets.html…
How likely are space super-storms?
A new analysis shows that “severe” space super-storms happened 42 years out of the last 150, and “great” super-storms happened 6 years out of 150. These storms can disrupt modern electronics, aviation and satellite systems and communications. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/how-likely-space-super-storms-solar-flares-carrington-event…
Solar Orbiter mission to track the sun’s active regions, improve space weather prediction
Our understanding of space weather, its origin on the sun, and its progression and threat to Earth, comes with critical gaps—gaps that the European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter hopes to help fill after its upcoming launch. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-01-solar-orbiter-mission-track-sun.html…