Solar Activity and
Space Weather
Solar Activity and Space Weather
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What happens on the Sun affects
what happens on Earth.
Image courtesy of SOHO
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Space Weather: The Sun’s influence on
terrestrial affairs
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Magnetic Field Lines
Magnetism produces
invisible lines of force
between the poles of
the object.
Compasses align
themselves along
magnetic field lines.
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Earth has a
magnetic field.
Magnetic field lines
extend between
Earth's north and
south poles creating
the magnetosphere.
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The Sun sends more than light
and warmth to the Earth!
It also sends high
velocity,
charged particles
(a plasma),
a “SOLAR WIND.”
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The solar wind squashes and stretches
the Earth's magnetosphere.
The magnetic field lines
on the Sun’s side are
squashed, while
the magnetic field
lines on the opposite
side are stretched out.
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Sun-Earth connection
The Sun and Earth are connected by the
Sun’s atmosphere, its solar wind.
Changes on the Sun affect the solar wind
flow, thereby affecting the Earth.
Click here to watch a movie!!!
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What affects the solar wind?
Solar flares
Solar flares occur when
magnetic energy built up in
the Sun’s atmosphere is
suddenly released.
Radiation is emitted from the
entire electromagnetic
spectrum with the energy
equivalent of millions of
hydrogen bombs exploding
simultaneously!
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Coronal Mass Ejections (CME)
Coronal mass ejections are
explosions in the Sun‘s
corona that spew out tons
of solar particles.
Arriving one to four days
later, they cause strong
geomagnetic storms,
auroras, and electrical
power blackouts.
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Earth’s natural defenses are:
• The magnetosphere
 A magnetic bubble deflecting charged particles
from the solar wind.
• The atmosphere
 A radiation and particle absorber.
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Solar emissions at supersonic speeds are
constantly bombarding this protective bubble.
Some break through, resulting in brilliant
auroras and, more dramatically, solar storms.
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Auroras
Auroras are caused by strong solar winds and
powerful magnetic storms.
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Solar Storms
Because of our reliance on technology,
solar storms are troublesome.
• In space they can:
 endanger astronauts,
 damage satellites, and
 cause communication blackouts.
• On the ground they can:
 disrupt communication systems,
 damage power grids, and
 confound navigation systems (GPS).
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Space Weather
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How can scientists examine Space Weather?
One way: Incoherent Scatter Radar (ISR)
Temperature is related to a particle’s average kinetic energy.
The ISR measures the temperature of the ionosphere’s plasma
which has both ions (Ti) and electrons (Te).
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Incoherent
Scatter Radar
Plate Tectonics, Geodesy, and VLBI
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Getting Data from a Data Base
Using MIT’s Madrigal ISR Data Set
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To make the data student-friendly,
Our MIT Madrigal data sets contain a
limited set of parameters.
• Instrument: Millstone Hill IS Radar
• Parameters displayed: Date and Time to
the second, Universal Time, Log electron
density, Electron and Ion temperature in K
• Altitude: 275 km to 325 km
• Radar angle: Overhead, 85º to 90º
• Time: Around noon,11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
(Not always selected)
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Annual Ionospheric Temperatures
Minimum in the Solar Cycle
Space Weather 1996
Space Weather 1995
3000
Te
Te
Ti
Ti
2500
2500
Temperature (K)
Temperature (K)
3000
2000
1500
2000
1500
1000
1000
500
500
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11 12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11 12
Month
Month
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Annual Ionospheric Temperatures
Maximum in the Solar Cycle
Space Weather 1990
3000
3000
2500
2500
Temperature (K)
Temperature (K)
Space Weather 1989
2000
1500
1000
2000
1500
1000
Te
Te
500
Ti
Ti
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
500
8 9 10 11 12 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9 10 11 12
Month
Month
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Space Weather October 2002
3000
Te
Ti
Temperature (K)
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
4
5
6
7
8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
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Summary
Using Space Weather to Demonstrate the
Scientific Method
•Space Weather and ISR
Demystifying Scientific Data and the
Scientific Process
•How Research Scientists Think and Work
•Data Collection and its Subsequent Analysis
Student and Educator Lesson Plans are available.
http://www.haystack.mit.edu
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Watch the Space Weather
28 minute Video !
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