Transcript SW_overview - Solar Physics and Space Weather

Introduction to Space Weather
An Overview
Jan. 26, 2012
Jie Zhang
Copyright ©
CSI 662 / PHYS 660
Fall, 2009
On the News
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/weather/2012/01/25/n
r-jeras-northern-lights-over-sweden.cnn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZQ6nvXl8oA
What is Space Weather?
"Space weather describes the conditions in space
that affect Earth and its technological systems.
Our space weather is a consequence of the
behavior of the sun, the nature of Earth's
magnetic field, and our location in the solar
system”
----National Academy of Science, 1997
Where are we?
We are located about
half way from the
center of the Milky
Way Galaxy
28,000 light years
from the center
One of ~200 billion
stars in our Galaxy
The Sun as a star
•An ordinary main
sequence star
•5 billion years old
•And 5 more
billion years to go
•A gas ball
emitting mainly
visible light
The Sun in interstellar space
Solar wind
creates a big
teardropshaped
heliosphere
around the
solar system,
by interacting
with the
interstellar
wind
The Earth in the Solar System
The Earth
3rd planet from
the Sun
1 AU = 150
million km
Travel time:
By light -8 minutes
By Solar Wind- ~ 72 hrs or
3 days
Terrestrial Weather
Terrestrial Weather
By Land, Ocean and Atmosphere
Sun light sustains life
Climate
Seasonal changes
Day-to-day Weather
Space
Weather
Storms in space directly driven by
the Sun’s activity
Space Weather: the Systems
Space Weather: the Process
It starts
from a
solar
eruption
Space Weather: effects
Aurora, a nice effect
From Space
Space Weather: effects
An adverse effect
Power failure due to
March 1989 storm
Damaged transformer
Space Weather: effects
On Human Space Exploration
On crew and
passengers of
polar-route
airplanes
Space Weather: effects
On Satellite Operation
Space Weather: effects
On Communication and Navigation
Space Weather: Components
Planet
Sun
Heliosphere
Magnetosphere
Ionosphere
Upper Atmosphere
Sun: activity --- the driver
Planet
Flare
Sun: activity --- the driver
Planet
Sun: where energy from?
Planet
Energy stored and released in magnetic field
Sun: where energy from?
Planet
Magnetic field generated by solar dynamo,
which has 11-year solar cycle
Solar Cycle
Sun: where energy from?
Planet
http://spaceweather.gmu.edu/events/hmi_emergence/
Heliosphere: solar wind
Planet
Spiral solar wind magnetic field: radial motion
of solar wind combined with Sun’s rotation
Sprinkler
Analogy
STEREO/SECCHI H1I
STEREO A/B SECCHI
Simulation (Credit: Odstrcil)
On Satellite Operation
Magnetosphere
Planet
A cometshaped
region
around the
Earth
Space Weather: solar wind
Solar Wind
blows the
magnetosphere
Magnetosphere
Planet
Electric
Currents in
Magnetosphere
Magnetosphere
Planet
Energetic
particles in
Van Allen
radiation
belt
Ionosphere
Planet
Density fluctuation affects radio wave
reflection and transmission
Neutral Upper Atmosphere
Planet
It is coupled with ionosphere
Heliophysics Missions
Solar Terrestrial Missions
Credit:
George Withbroe
(2003)
Operational
Developmental
Under Study
Voyager I & II 77
Ulysses 90
SAMPEX 92
Geotail 92
WIND 94
SOHO 95
Polar 96
FAST 96
ACE 97
TRACE 98
ACRIMSAT 99
IMAGE 00
Cluster 00
CORONAS-F 01
GENESIS 01
TIMED 01
RHESSI 02
Double Star 03,04
THEMIS 07
SORCE 03
CINDI/CNOFS 04
TWINS 04,05
COSMIC 05
STEREO 05
SST 05
AIM 06
EPOP 06
Interhelioprobe 07-08
SWARM 09
RESONANCE ?
SENTINELS
12-14
Solar Probe
12-14
CORONAS- PHOTON 06
Solar-B 06
Picard 06-07
SDO 07
Iono-Thermosphere Storm
Probes 08
MMS 09
GEC 09
Radiation Belt Storm
Probes 10
Solar Orbiter 11
MC/DRACO 12
Geospace
Heliospheric
Solar
Heliophysics Missions (2012)
Solar Terrestrial Missions
Past
ISEE 78
Ulysses 90
Yohkoh 91
SAMPEX 92
Spartan-201 94
FAST 96
Polar 96
Equator-S 97
SNOE 98
TRACE 98
IMAGE 00
IMP-8 00
ST5 06
Operational
Voyager I & II 77
Geotail 92
WIND 94
SOHO 95
ACE 97
Cluster 00
TIMED 01
RHESSI 02
Developmental
BARREL
IRIS 12
RBSP 12
Space Environment
Testbeds 12
MMS 14
Under Study
Solar Orbiter
Solar Probe Plus
Hinode 06
STEREO 06
AIM 07
THEMIS 07
IBEX 08
CINDI/CNOFS 08
TWINS A&B 08
SDO 10
Geospace
Heliospheric
http://science.nasa.gov/heliophysics/missions/
Solar
Theory and Modeling
Plasma Physics
Magnetohydrodynamics
Electrodynamics
Particle Physics
Radiation Transfer
Chemistry
Space Weather Program at GMU
• Strategy: a system approach to address the integrated
Sun-Earth connected system
• Initiated in 2003
• Space Weather Lab formed in Oct. 2006
• Faculty
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Dr. Ken Dere (Sun)
Dr. Art Poland (Sun)
Dr. Jie Zhang (Sun, Heliosphere)
Dr. Dusan Odstrcil (Heliosphere)
Dr. Bob Weigel (Heliosphere, Magnetosphere)
Dr. Dieter Bilitza (Ionosphere)
Dr. Phil Richards (Ionosphere)
Dr. Bob Meier (Ionosphere and Upper Atmosphere)
The End