It is believed by physicists that the next period of high solar activity is due to start in 2012 and it is during this time that the Earth will experience some of the worst solar storms in decades (Gaea). The astronomical phenomenon that is believed to be mainly responsible for this is the solar wind. Solar winds are responsible for the formation of the beautiful auroras but they can also be destructive in a sense that they can also trigger storms that can interfere with satellites power sources, endanger spacewalkers, and even knock out power grids on Earth (Gaea). Now, considering that the solar cycle is around 11 years, then were in for a tough time in the next 11 years (Gaea). This information may or may not be true but there is only one implication in this latest concern about solar winds and the possibility of the occurrence of a solar storm in 2012 the subject of solar winds need to be fully understood before any conclusion can be made. This paper will delve into the nature of solar winds and hopefully provide information substantial enough for one to make an informed opinion on the possible occurrence of a solar storm in 2012.
DEFINITION OF SOLAR WINDS
High Speed and High Temperature. Solar winds are streams of energized, charged particles made of plasma and primarily made up of electrons and protons which flow outward from the Sun, through the solar system. Solar winds have speeds as high as 900 kms and may reach temperatures of 1 million degrees Celsius (Space Environment). It would be interesting to note that this extremely high temperature of the solar wind is the reason why the Suns gravity cannot hold on to it yet no one understands the details about how and where coronal gases including solar winds are accelerated to such high velocities (Hathaway, The Solar Wind). Nevertheless, despite the extremely high speed, it takes about 4 to 5 days for solar winds to hit the Earths atmosphere (Kubesh et al. 10) and cause noticeable changes in the form of colorful lights in the skycalled the northern lights or aurora borealis and the southern lights or aurora australis (Kubesh et al. 10-11).
Shaping the Magnetic Field and the Environment. With an average speed of 400 kms, solar winds are responsible for the anti-sunward tails of comets as well as the shape of the magnetic fields around the planets (Solar Wind) for in fact, the solar wind carries a magnetic field (Meyer-Vernet 26). Aside from shaping the magnetic fields of planets, solar winds are also responsible for shaping their environments by blowing a huge bubble of supersonic plasma called the heliosphere, which engulfs the planets and a host of smaller bodies. (Meyer-Vernet 1)
Cause of Solar Winds. Solar winds are caused by the hot solar corona, which is the outermost layer of the solar atmosphere and which expands into space (Space Environment). They actually consist of around 1 million tons of hydrogen ejected by the Sun per second and which blows rather gently (Meyer-Vernet 1).
Variations in the Speed of Solar Winds. It is a fact that a solar wind is not entirely uniform throughout space. Its speed may reach as high as 800 kms over coronal holes and as low as 300 kms over streamers. These high and low wind streams interact with each other and such wind speed variations buffet the earths magnetic field and are responsible for the storms in the Earths magnetosphere (Hathaway, The Solar Wind).
FEATURES OF SOLAR WINDS
Solar winds contain a few unique features such as Magnetic Clouds and Co-rotating Interactive Regions, or CRIs. However, more research is needed in order to ascertain the specific qualities of these features.
Magnetic Clouds. Magnetic Clouds are transient ejections in solar winds are detected and produced in the solar winds whenever eruptions such as flares and coronal mass ejections carry material away from the Sun together with embedded magnetic fields.
Co-rotating Interactive Regions. Co-rotating Interactive Regions, on the other hand, are specific regions in the solar wind where streams of material which are believed to be moving at different speeds collide and interact with each other. (Hathaway, Solar Wind Features)
THE SUN CORONA
Definition of Corona. Since solar winds are caused by the hot solar corona, which is the outermost layer of the solar atmosphere (Space Environment), there is therefore a need to discuss it in some detail. The corona, aside from being the Suns outer atmosphere, refers to the rays of light or the pearly white crown surrounding the Sun which are visible during total eclipses. (Hathaway, The Corona)
Temperature of Coronal Gases and Solar Wind. It is a fact that coronal gases are super-heated to temperatures greater than 1,000,000 degrees Celsius, or 1,800,000 degrees Fahrenheit. It is at these high temperatures that the elements hydrogen and helium as well as carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen are completely stripped of their electrons (Hathaway, The Corona), and that the now active hydrogen stripped of electrons make up the solar wind. However, solar winds, in contrast with other coronal gases, are known to have relatively lower temperatures of up to 1,000,000 degrees Fahrenheit or 555,600 degrees Celsius (Kubesh et al. 10).
Coronal Holes. The produced solar winds escape primarily through the coronal holes, or the areas in the Suns corona where it is darker and colder and where the plasma has a lower density than average. These coronal holes are found predominantly near the Suns poles. (The Solar Wind)
INFLUENCE OF THE SOLAR WIND ON EARTH
The influence of solar winds on the solar system is basically also their influence on earth.
General Influences. It is scientifically known that the solar wind engulfs the entire solar system, creates magnetospheres, produces auroras, and modulates the penetrating cosmic rays from the galaxy into the solar system and onto the Earth. (Burch et al. 238)
First Discoveries of Connections between the Earth and the Sun. In fact there have been various scientific investigations through the years on other possible connections between the Sun and the Earth aside from the fact that sunlight reaches the Earth and causes photosynthesis in plants. It was not until the middle of the nineteenth century that when an amateur astronomer in the name of Richard Carrington started drawing sunspots from a projected image of the Sun, he suddenly saw two patches of peculiarly intense light appear and fade within 5 minutes in the largest sunspot group visible (Meyer-Vernet 2). It was later on found out that Carrington was looking at what we now call a solar flare, or an extremely huge explosive energy released by the Sun. He also noticed that some time later, the magnetic field at Earth was strongly perturbedand intense auroras spread over much of the world (Meyer-Vernet 3). Although Carrington was actually not the first to suspect that auroras and magnetic effects on Earth are caused by the Sun, his observations somehow strengthened the theory that there is indeed a connection between the Sun and terrestrial magnetic disturbances (Meyer-Vernet 3).
A19th century Hypothesis on Solar Winds. One of the first hypotheses about the aforementioned theory was formulated by the 19th century Irish professor of natural and experimental chemistry and physics George Fitzgerald. Firtzgerald hypothesized that matter starting from the Sun can come to Earth only if they are subjected to an acceleration of several times solar gravitation (Meyer-Vernet 3). This hypothesis, which is now known to be a fact, simply means that in order for solar matter, which now refers to solar winds, to reach the Earth, it has to have velocities that would allow it to escape an extremely strong gravitational pull of the Sun. However, as current scientific proof points out to the fact that solar winds travel at speeds as high as 900 kms and at temperatures of 1 million degrees Celsius (Space Environment) to which the Suns gravity cannot hold on (Hathaway, The Solar Wind), then it is finally an established scientific fact that solar winds can actually escape the Sun despite the strong gravity of the latter, and can therefore influence the magnetism of Earth and the formation of auroras.
Possible Effects on Telecommunication. Aside from its influence on the Earths magnetic field and on Earths auroras, solar winds also affect the ionosphere and telecommunication systems (The Solar Wind). Such influence of solar winds mentioned in the preceding statement may be negative as there is a possibility that a burst of particles from a coronal mass ejection detected 5 days earlier by SOHO, a spacecraft observing the Sun, may have been the reason behind the destruction of the Telstar 401 communications satellite on January 11, 1997 (The Solar Wind).
Effects on the Weather. Solar winds are also mainly responsible for weather conditions around the Earth in space (The Sun 10). This is made possible by the emission of a huge blast of particles coming from the Sun. This blast of particles, called coronal mass ejection, makes the solar wind stronger and can cause magnetic storms on earth (Kubesh et al. 10), which is the known cause of changes in compasses as well as radio signals.
SOURCE OF INFORMATION ON SOLAR WINDS
Nothing much can be learned from the sun and the solar winds through telescopes and scientific theories and hypotheses. Much of the raw data known to man about solar winds are a result of the efforts of astronomical societies and the scientific community in bringing to space a number of spacecrafts that would orbit the Sun and relay information to astronomers about its nature.
Ulysses. One of these spacecrafts is Ulysses. Ulysses started the exploration of the poles of the Sun in 1990 and is still orbiting it today and is specifically used by scientists to study the corona and solar wind (The Sun 11). As of 2009, the Ulysses spacecraft has now already completed one orbit through the solar system during which it passed over the Suns south and north polesand it has provided us with a new view of the solar wind (Solar Winds). The Ulysses was able to determine fast and slow solar wind as well as the fact that fast wind is steady and simple but slow solar wind is variable and complicated. (Burch et al. 238)
Solar winds possess the qualities of extremely high speed and high temperature that is why they can escape the Suns atmosphere and thereby create magnetic field changes on Earth and help form auroras in the night sky. However these are not the only characteristics that solar winds have. They also cause changes in weather as well as produce magnetic storms. Moreover, there is a possibility that they can interfere with communication facilities such as satellites, and may even destroy them in the process. Nevertheless, there is definitely a need for further research especially on the exact role of solar winds in the solar cycle, which is actually one extremely complicated process to the layman. There is also a need to determine the exact role of the solar cycle on Earth. Moreover, certain variables such as the destruction of the ozone layer and the distance of the Earth from the Sun should be considered, as well as a more thorough investigation on the features of solar winds such as Magnetic Clouds and CRIs. However, as of now, one can see that solar winds, with the extremely high temperature and speed, can be destructive.
DEFINITION OF SOLAR WINDS
High Speed and High Temperature. Solar winds are streams of energized, charged particles made of plasma and primarily made up of electrons and protons which flow outward from the Sun, through the solar system. Solar winds have speeds as high as 900 kms and may reach temperatures of 1 million degrees Celsius (Space Environment). It would be interesting to note that this extremely high temperature of the solar wind is the reason why the Suns gravity cannot hold on to it yet no one understands the details about how and where coronal gases including solar winds are accelerated to such high velocities (Hathaway, The Solar Wind). Nevertheless, despite the extremely high speed, it takes about 4 to 5 days for solar winds to hit the Earths atmosphere (Kubesh et al. 10) and cause noticeable changes in the form of colorful lights in the skycalled the northern lights or aurora borealis and the southern lights or aurora australis (Kubesh et al. 10-11).
Shaping the Magnetic Field and the Environment. With an average speed of 400 kms, solar winds are responsible for the anti-sunward tails of comets as well as the shape of the magnetic fields around the planets (Solar Wind) for in fact, the solar wind carries a magnetic field (Meyer-Vernet 26). Aside from shaping the magnetic fields of planets, solar winds are also responsible for shaping their environments by blowing a huge bubble of supersonic plasma called the heliosphere, which engulfs the planets and a host of smaller bodies. (Meyer-Vernet 1)
Cause of Solar Winds. Solar winds are caused by the hot solar corona, which is the outermost layer of the solar atmosphere and which expands into space (Space Environment). They actually consist of around 1 million tons of hydrogen ejected by the Sun per second and which blows rather gently (Meyer-Vernet 1).
Variations in the Speed of Solar Winds. It is a fact that a solar wind is not entirely uniform throughout space. Its speed may reach as high as 800 kms over coronal holes and as low as 300 kms over streamers. These high and low wind streams interact with each other and such wind speed variations buffet the earths magnetic field and are responsible for the storms in the Earths magnetosphere (Hathaway, The Solar Wind).
FEATURES OF SOLAR WINDS
Solar winds contain a few unique features such as Magnetic Clouds and Co-rotating Interactive Regions, or CRIs. However, more research is needed in order to ascertain the specific qualities of these features.
Magnetic Clouds. Magnetic Clouds are transient ejections in solar winds are detected and produced in the solar winds whenever eruptions such as flares and coronal mass ejections carry material away from the Sun together with embedded magnetic fields.
Co-rotating Interactive Regions. Co-rotating Interactive Regions, on the other hand, are specific regions in the solar wind where streams of material which are believed to be moving at different speeds collide and interact with each other. (Hathaway, Solar Wind Features)
THE SUN CORONA
Definition of Corona. Since solar winds are caused by the hot solar corona, which is the outermost layer of the solar atmosphere (Space Environment), there is therefore a need to discuss it in some detail. The corona, aside from being the Suns outer atmosphere, refers to the rays of light or the pearly white crown surrounding the Sun which are visible during total eclipses. (Hathaway, The Corona)
Temperature of Coronal Gases and Solar Wind. It is a fact that coronal gases are super-heated to temperatures greater than 1,000,000 degrees Celsius, or 1,800,000 degrees Fahrenheit. It is at these high temperatures that the elements hydrogen and helium as well as carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen are completely stripped of their electrons (Hathaway, The Corona), and that the now active hydrogen stripped of electrons make up the solar wind. However, solar winds, in contrast with other coronal gases, are known to have relatively lower temperatures of up to 1,000,000 degrees Fahrenheit or 555,600 degrees Celsius (Kubesh et al. 10).
Coronal Holes. The produced solar winds escape primarily through the coronal holes, or the areas in the Suns corona where it is darker and colder and where the plasma has a lower density than average. These coronal holes are found predominantly near the Suns poles. (The Solar Wind)
INFLUENCE OF THE SOLAR WIND ON EARTH
The influence of solar winds on the solar system is basically also their influence on earth.
General Influences. It is scientifically known that the solar wind engulfs the entire solar system, creates magnetospheres, produces auroras, and modulates the penetrating cosmic rays from the galaxy into the solar system and onto the Earth. (Burch et al. 238)
First Discoveries of Connections between the Earth and the Sun. In fact there have been various scientific investigations through the years on other possible connections between the Sun and the Earth aside from the fact that sunlight reaches the Earth and causes photosynthesis in plants. It was not until the middle of the nineteenth century that when an amateur astronomer in the name of Richard Carrington started drawing sunspots from a projected image of the Sun, he suddenly saw two patches of peculiarly intense light appear and fade within 5 minutes in the largest sunspot group visible (Meyer-Vernet 2). It was later on found out that Carrington was looking at what we now call a solar flare, or an extremely huge explosive energy released by the Sun. He also noticed that some time later, the magnetic field at Earth was strongly perturbedand intense auroras spread over much of the world (Meyer-Vernet 3). Although Carrington was actually not the first to suspect that auroras and magnetic effects on Earth are caused by the Sun, his observations somehow strengthened the theory that there is indeed a connection between the Sun and terrestrial magnetic disturbances (Meyer-Vernet 3).
A19th century Hypothesis on Solar Winds. One of the first hypotheses about the aforementioned theory was formulated by the 19th century Irish professor of natural and experimental chemistry and physics George Fitzgerald. Firtzgerald hypothesized that matter starting from the Sun can come to Earth only if they are subjected to an acceleration of several times solar gravitation (Meyer-Vernet 3). This hypothesis, which is now known to be a fact, simply means that in order for solar matter, which now refers to solar winds, to reach the Earth, it has to have velocities that would allow it to escape an extremely strong gravitational pull of the Sun. However, as current scientific proof points out to the fact that solar winds travel at speeds as high as 900 kms and at temperatures of 1 million degrees Celsius (Space Environment) to which the Suns gravity cannot hold on (Hathaway, The Solar Wind), then it is finally an established scientific fact that solar winds can actually escape the Sun despite the strong gravity of the latter, and can therefore influence the magnetism of Earth and the formation of auroras.
Possible Effects on Telecommunication. Aside from its influence on the Earths magnetic field and on Earths auroras, solar winds also affect the ionosphere and telecommunication systems (The Solar Wind). Such influence of solar winds mentioned in the preceding statement may be negative as there is a possibility that a burst of particles from a coronal mass ejection detected 5 days earlier by SOHO, a spacecraft observing the Sun, may have been the reason behind the destruction of the Telstar 401 communications satellite on January 11, 1997 (The Solar Wind).
Effects on the Weather. Solar winds are also mainly responsible for weather conditions around the Earth in space (The Sun 10). This is made possible by the emission of a huge blast of particles coming from the Sun. This blast of particles, called coronal mass ejection, makes the solar wind stronger and can cause magnetic storms on earth (Kubesh et al. 10), which is the known cause of changes in compasses as well as radio signals.
SOURCE OF INFORMATION ON SOLAR WINDS
Nothing much can be learned from the sun and the solar winds through telescopes and scientific theories and hypotheses. Much of the raw data known to man about solar winds are a result of the efforts of astronomical societies and the scientific community in bringing to space a number of spacecrafts that would orbit the Sun and relay information to astronomers about its nature.
Ulysses. One of these spacecrafts is Ulysses. Ulysses started the exploration of the poles of the Sun in 1990 and is still orbiting it today and is specifically used by scientists to study the corona and solar wind (The Sun 11). As of 2009, the Ulysses spacecraft has now already completed one orbit through the solar system during which it passed over the Suns south and north polesand it has provided us with a new view of the solar wind (Solar Winds). The Ulysses was able to determine fast and slow solar wind as well as the fact that fast wind is steady and simple but slow solar wind is variable and complicated. (Burch et al. 238)
Solar winds possess the qualities of extremely high speed and high temperature that is why they can escape the Suns atmosphere and thereby create magnetic field changes on Earth and help form auroras in the night sky. However these are not the only characteristics that solar winds have. They also cause changes in weather as well as produce magnetic storms. Moreover, there is a possibility that they can interfere with communication facilities such as satellites, and may even destroy them in the process. Nevertheless, there is definitely a need for further research especially on the exact role of solar winds in the solar cycle, which is actually one extremely complicated process to the layman. There is also a need to determine the exact role of the solar cycle on Earth. Moreover, certain variables such as the destruction of the ozone layer and the distance of the Earth from the Sun should be considered, as well as a more thorough investigation on the features of solar winds such as Magnetic Clouds and CRIs. However, as of now, one can see that solar winds, with the extremely high temperature and speed, can be destructive.
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