Sabens Stanley, PhD, by Johns Hopkins University
Light and heat are not the only things that come from the sun. There is also an ionized mass colliding with the planets from the sun which we call solar wind. Solar winds can cause major disruptions in our solar system, especially to a planet like Earth. What are these potential disruptions, and how can they be minimized?
The mass of solar wind is made up of plasma, the fourth state of matter. Plasma occurs when molecules have a lot of energy, they split into protons, electrons and helium nuclei. This plasma originates in the Sun’s atmosphere.
Formation of solar wind on the sun
The Sun’s atmosphere is divided into two layers: the chromosome and the corona. There is a chromosome layer above the opaque photosphere or on the surface of the sun, which is a few thousand kilometers thick. Here the temperature rises with elevation and about 10,000 at the top of the color chart. Arrives. A fibrous jet called spicules appears and carries the plasma to a higher altitude and into the photosphere in about 10 minutes.
Above the chromosome is the corona, which is several million kilometers thick. The corona is best seen during a solar eclipse because it looks like a halo surrounding the sun’s disk block. There are corona where the solar wind arises. The gravitational force of the sun is too weak in the corona to capture this get hot plasma, and so the plasma accelerates at high speeds.
Temperatures go up to about two million Kelvin. But since the plasma density is much lower than the photosphere, we do not usually see the light of this region. The sun releases about 1.5 million tons of superheated plasma into the solar wind. The speed can vary greatly depending on the sun’s magnetic field and the region from which it emits, but it can reach speeds of up to 750 kilometers per second!
Learn more about solar system time machines and meteors.
Effect of solar wind on planets
Geomagnetic storms can disrupt
Electronics and satellites on Earth.
(Image: NASA / public domain)
Ionized particles in the solar wind attach to the solar magnetic field and form a spiral structure in a space called the ‘Parker spiral’. These high-energy solar wind particles cause aurora in magnetic field planets, but they can also be disrupted for planetary atmospheres and surfaces.
This rain of plasma particles can collide with higher particles in a planet’s atmosphere, giving the atmosphere enough energy to escape from the planet. These are called atmospheric solar wind belts and may be partly responsible for the dramatic changes in the atmosphere and weather on Mars.
This is a transcript of a video series A field guide for planets. Check it out now on Great Courses Plus.
Space weather caused by solar wind
Solar winds also cause ‘space weather’ on airless bodies like Mercury and most of the moon in the solar system. Spatial weather can cause some substances to evaporate from the surface or fuse other particles. For example, the top coat of regolith on the moon is much darker due to the weather in the extended space.
Learn more about Pluto and Sharon: Binary Worlds.
Risks of geomagnetic storms caused by solar winds
Solar winds become the most dangerous for the earth during solar storms. Most of the plasma in the solar corona is confined to areas where there is a magnetic field, such as the sun’s spheres.
Here, magnetic fields, like a fishing net, form large arcing loops over the plasma. Coronal mass ejection is a plasma storm that occurs when it experiences events of magnetic fields reconnection that rearrange the magnetic fields.
(Image: NASA / public domain)
After the reconnection event, there is a large hole in the lattice, and solar plasma can explode through it. This explosion causes a much larger than normal mass of plasma to be thrown through the hole and into space. Sometimes, that plasma is directed towards the earth. If so, a massive flood of ionized particles could disrupt our magnetosphere and cause new currents to flow. Which we call geomagnetic storms.
Radiation auroras from these events may appear at lower latitudes than usual. And not only is the aurora beautiful, but light signals can also give us hours of early warning for a mass of plasma to come next. Electrons and other charged particles from geomagnetic storms can also disrupt electronics, including radio transmissions and satellites. For example, GPS coordinates can wander several meters during a storm. It will not be heard until you realize that the planes are landing via GPS.
Examples of geomagnetic storms on Earth
These geographic magnetic storms are also known to harden the power grid. For example, in March 1989, the Sun released a coronal mass ejection, the energy of which was equivalent to thousands of atomic bombs. The province of Quebec in Canada lost nine hours of power due to its interaction with the Earth’s geomagnetic field. Then in August, the computers used on the Toronto Stock Exchange lost power, halting all trading.
Another typhoon in 1972 caused typical radio blackouts and damage to solar panels on satellites. But, the U.S. The ineffective explosion of marine mines placed in seawater near Vietnam by the Navy resulted in these mines having magnetic triggers that explode when metal ships floated. But the geographic cyclonic hurricane inadvertently turned off two dozen explosions in 30 seconds to magnetic sensors.
The largest geological cyclone occurred in 1859. It is known as the Carrington event where a coronal mass ejection traveled from the sun to the earth in just 18 hours. The sudden increase in voltage in the telegraph wire resulted in shock to the telegraph operators and also the burning of the fire.
At the time, people didn’t rely heavily on electronics, but scientists can predict what would happen today if a plasma storm as large as the Carrington event occurred. This causes millions of dollars in damage to the power grid and satellites. There will be widespread power blackouts. Some scientists estimate that it will take years to restore power if enough damage is done.
So when will the next geometry cyclone come? While the sun has many sunspots, coronal mass ejaculation occurs about three times a day. When there are a few sunspots, it only happens once every five days.
Learn more about the potential for water and life on Mars.
Other risks of solar storms
One long-standing concern for space travel is the impact of solar storms on astronauts. Solar storms hitting spacecraft result in severe exposure to high-energy radiation by astronauts – which can be fatal enough. So this will be a rare but important obstacle when trying to plan a human voyage on or beyond Mars.
Forecast scope weather
Many missions have been created to help observe the sun and predict the so-called ‘space weather’. The Solar Dynamics Observatory or SDO is located in the physical synchronous orbit around the Earth. There are images of the sun’s photosphere and atmosphere in many wavelengths of light to study the magnetic and high features radiation features released here.
For example, the S.D.O. can see energetic gases that detect the sun’s magnetic field in coronal loops. It can also create images of solar flares that contain gas at millions of degrees in temperature.
The Solar Terrestrial Relation Observatory or Stereo, orbiting the Earth from a distance similar to the Sun, used two binoculars at two different and changing locations to obtain stereo images of the Sun. This has allowed the determination of the three-dimensional structure of solar facilities, such as the extent of massive coronal mass ejection.
Parker Solar Probe
The closest mission to the Sun is the Parker Solar Probe, which orbits the Sun in an 88-day elliptical orbit. The mission will eventually zoom in at about half a million miles per hour from the Sun’s outer corona, where it will travel more than four million miles from the Sun’s surface.
This is close to studying how coronal mass ejection is formed. The primary goal is to start developing their ability to predict direction, time and intensity. When a solar plasma storm leads to Earth we expect it to disconnect us before it hits us.
The positive thing about solar wind
The solar wind also defines the boundaries of the solar system. The wind carries with it the lines of the solar magnetic field, and the lines of this magnetic field can act like bubbles protecting the solar system from interglacial winds. The Earth’s magnetic field is similar to how our planet is shielded from the solar wind.
The sun’s magnetic field and the bubble in space carved by the solar wind are known as the heliosphere. The heliopause is the outer boundary of the heliosphere, just as the magnet et puse is the outer boundary of the Earth’s magnetic field. Beyond helioposes, intercropping winds are more powerful than solar winds.
Common questions about solar winds and planets
Yes, this Solar storms Or coronal mass injection can greatly disrupt the Earth’s magnetosphere. Solar storms also damage satellites and the electrical grid.
Solar wind It is important because it forms the boundary of the sun’s heliosphere or our solar system.
Because it is dangerous Solar storms Can disrupt the Earth’s magnetic field. Solar storms also damage satellites and the electrical grid.
Radiation from Geographical cyclone Northern lights or aurora can also be seen at lower latitudes.
