Do You Feel Wind In Space? We detect a plasmaspheric breeze. More than 20 years ago, researchers proposed the existence of a space wind–a steady flow of charged particles–inside the Earth’s magnetosphere, the region of space governed by our magnetic field. How can solar wind affect astronauts? Once outside the Earth’s magnetosphere, astronauts are exposed
Why Is Solar Wind Bad? 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. Why is solar wind harmful?
Could A Solar Storm Shut Down Earth? The undersea cables that connect much of the world would be hit especially hard by a coronal mass ejection. Scientists have known for decades that an extreme solar storm, or coronal mass ejection, could damage electrical grids and potentially cause prolonged blackouts. What damage can a solar flare
How Often Does Aurora Australis Occur? Most southern lightshows occur during the Southern Hemisphere’s fall and winter months, which stretch from March through September. Here are four aurora australis hotspots for those looking for a southern celestial spectacle. How often do auroras occur? “Active periods are typically about 30 minutes long, and occur every two
What Would Happen If A Coronal Mass Ejection Hit Earth? When the ejection is directed towards Earth and reaches it as an interplanetary CME (ICME), the shock wave of traveling mass causes a geomagnetic storm that may disrupt Earth’s magnetosphere, compressing it on the day side and extending the night-side magnetic tail. What would happen
Is The Aurora Borealis Dangerous? The Northern Lights occur so high up in the atmosphere that they don’t pose any threat to people watching them from the ground. The aurora itself is not harmful to humans but the electrically charged particles produced could have some potentially negative effects to infrastructure and technology. Can you fly
What Do Solar Flares Cause On Earth? Strong solar flares can send huge clouds of plasma into space. This is known as a coronal mass ejection (CMEs), and when they hit the Earth they can cause geomagnetic storms Can solar flares destroy life on Earth? Not really. While electromagnetic fluctuations from solar flares can disrupt
What Can Get Affected By A CME Hitting The Earth? When CME hits the Earth, it can trigger geomagnetic storms. The aurora borealis, as seen from space. The CME heading for Earth currently is only expected to cause a G1 geomagnetic storm, the lowest severity of a five-level gauge, according to the UK scientists. What
Do Solar Flares Have A Cycle? The Sun’s magnetic field goes through a cycle, called the solar cycle. Every 11 years or so, the Sun’s magnetic field completely flips. This means that the Sun’s north and south poles switch places. Then it takes about another 11 years for the Sun’s north and south poles to
How Is The Aurora Affected By The Solar Cycle? The sun has a heartbeat. Every 10 or 12 years it beats, and it beats hard. This is known as the solar cycle and is measured by the number of sunspots visible on the sun. The more sunspots, the more solar flare energy is being released