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	Topics Space weather Topic Home Space weather is the concept of changing environmental conditions in outer spaceOuter space Outer space, also simply called space, refers to the relatively empty regions of the universe outside the atmospheres of... . It is distinct from the concept of weatherWeather Overview *Weather* is an all-encompassing term used to describe all of the many and varied phenomena that can occur in the atmosphe... within a planetary atmosphere, and deals with phenomena involving ambient plasmaFacts About Plasma Plasma may refer to:* Plasma, an ionized gas... , magnetic fields, radiationRadiation Radiation in Physics is the process of emitting energy in the form of waves or particles.... and other matterMatter In physics, matter is commonly defined as the substance of which physical objects are composed, not counting the contributio... in space (generally close to Earth but also in interplanetaryInterplanetary space Interplanetary space is that part of outer space between planets in a solar system and its local star, many of which are bin... , and occasionally interstellar spaceInterstellar space Summary Interstellar space may mean:Interstellar medium, in astronomy... ). "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." Within our own solar systemSolar System The Solar System* or solar system is the stellar system comprising the Sun and the retinue of celestial objects gravita... , space weather is greatly influenced by the speed and density of the solar windSolar wind Soup alla Canavese is a soup made from white stock, butter, onions, carrot, celery, tomato puree, cauliflower, fat bacon, pa... and the interplanetary magnetic fieldInterplanetary Magnetic Field The Interplanetary Magnetic Field is the term for the Suns magnetic field among the planets of the Solar System.... (IMF) carried by the solar wind plasmaPlasma (physics) In physics and chemistry, a plasma is typically an ionized gas, and is usually considered to be a distinct phase of ma... . A variety of physical phenomena are associated with space weather, including geomagnetic stormGeomagnetic storm A geomagnetic storm is a temporary disturbance of the Earth's magnetosphere.... s and substorms, energization of the Van Allen radiation beltVan Allen radiation belt The Van Allen Radiation Belt is a torus of energetic charged particles around Earth, trapped by Earth's magnetic field.... s, ionospheric disturbances and scintillation, auroraAurora (astronomy) The aurora is a bright glow observed in the night sky, usually in the polar zone.... and geomagnetically induced currentGeomagnetically induced current Geomagnetically induced currents , affecting the normal operation of long technological conductor systems, are a manifestati... s at Earth's surface. Coronal Mass EjectionCoronal mass ejection A coronal mass ejection is an ejection of material from the solar corona, observed with a white-light coronagraph.... s and their associated shock waveShock wave A shock wave is a type of propagating disturbance.... s are also important drivers of space weather as they can compress the magnetosphereMagnetosphere A magnetosphere is the region around an astronomical object in which phenomena are dominated or organized by its magnetic fi... and trigger geomagnetic storms. Solar Energetic ParticlesSolar Energetic Particles Overview Solar Energetic Particles are high-energy particles coming from the Sun which had been first observed in the early 1940s.... , accelerated by coronal mass ejections or solar flareSolar flare A solar flare is a violent explosion in the Sun's atmosphere with an energy equivalent to tens of millions of hydrogen bombs... s, are also an important driver of space weather as they can damage electronics onboard spacecraft and threaten the life of astronauts. Space weather exerts a profound influence in several areas related to space exploration and development. Changing geomagnetic conditions can induce changes in atmospheric density causing the rapid degradation of spacecraft altitude in Low Earth orbitLow Earth orbit A low Earth orbit is generally defined as an orbit within the locus extending from the Earths surface up to an altitude of ... . Geomagnetic storms due to increased solar activity can potentially blind sensors aboard spacecraft, or interfere with on-board electronics. An understanding of space environmental conditions is also important in designing shielding and life support systems for manned spacecraft. There is also some concern that geomagnetic storms may also expose conventional aircraft flying at high latitudes to increased amounts of radiation. Satellites observing space weather Since 1995, the joint NASANASA Overview The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the United States Government, responsible for the nation'... -European Space AgencyEuropean Space Agency The European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an inter-governmental organization dedicated to the exploration of space... Solar and Heliospheric ObservatorySolar and Heliospheric Observatory The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory is a spacecraft that was launched on 2 December 1995 to study the sun, and began norm... (SOHO) spacecraft is the main source of near-real timeReal Time Summary *Real Time* is a webcast based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who which was then... solar data for space weather prediction. It was joined in 1998 by the NASA Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE), which carries a space weather beacon for continuous transmission of relevant in situ space environment data. SOHO and ACE are located near the L1 Lagrangian point, 1% of the earth-sun distance upstream of the earth where it measures solar wind plasma and magnetic field approximately one hour before it reaches the earth. Most recently, the launch of the NASA-ESA Solar-Terrestrial Relations Observatory added an additional space weather data stream that covers the region between the sun and the earth with stereoscopic imagery. The two STEREO spacecraft drift away from the earth by about 22deg per year, one leading and the other trailing the earth in its orbit. Modeling Efforts Major modelling efforts to simulate the space environment from the Sun to the Earth and beyond using three-dimensional global MagnetohydrodynamicsMagnetohydrodynamics Magnetohydrodynamics is the academic discipline which studies the dynamics of electrically conducting fluids.... frameworkFramework Overview In software development, a framework is a defined support structure in which another software project can be organized and d... s have been undertaken since the 1990s. In the United States, the two major centers are the (CSEM) and the (CISM). Examples of space weather events 1859 Sept 2, disruption of telegraph serviceAurora (astronomy) The aurora is a bright glow observed in the night sky, usually in the polar zone.... . The best-known example of space weather events is the collapse of the HydroQuebec power network on March 13, 1989 due to geomagnetically induced currentGeomagnetically induced current Geomagnetically induced currents , affecting the normal operation of long technological conductor systems, are a manifestati... s. This was started by a transformerTransformer A transformer is an electrical device that transfers energy from one circuit to another by magnetic coupling with no moving ... failure, which led to a general blackoutPower outage A power outage is the loss of the electricity supply to an area.... , which lasted more than 9 hours and affected 6 million people. The geomagnetic stormGeomagnetic storm Summary A geomagnetic storm is a temporary disturbance of the Earth's magnetosphere.... causing this event was itself the result of a Coronal Mass EjectionCoronal mass ejection A coronal mass ejection is an ejection of material from the solar corona, observed with a white-light coronagraph.... , ejected from the SunSun \|+ The Sun \|+\|-\| colspan="2" align="center" \| \|-... on March 9, 1989. A geomagnetic stormGeomagnetic storm A geomagnetic storm is a temporary disturbance of the Earth's magnetosphere.... on January 20, 1994 temporarily knocked out two Canadian communications satellites, AnikAnik (satellite) The Anik satellites are geostationary communications satellites launched by Telesat Canada for television in Canada.... s E1 and E2. A Coronal Mass EjectionCoronal mass ejection A coronal mass ejection is an ejection of material from the solar corona, observed with a white-light coronagraph.... on January 7, 1997 hit the Earth's magnetosphereMagnetosphere A magnetosphere is the region around an astronomical object in which phenomena are dominated or organized by its magnetic fi... on January 10 and caused the loss of the AT&TAT&T Overview AT&T Inc. is the largest provider of both local and long distance telephone services, wireless service, and DSL internet acc... Telstar 401Telstar 401 Telstar 401 was a communications satellite owned by AT&T which was destroyed by a magnetic storm in 1997.... communication satellite (a $200 million value). Transpolar routes flown by airplanes are particularly sensitive to space weather, in part because of Federal Aviation RegulationsFederal Aviation Regulations The Federal Aviation Regulations, or FARs, are rules prescribed by the Federal Aviation Administration governing all ... requiring reliable communication over the entire flight. It is estimated to cost about $100,000 each time such a flight is diverted from a polar route. Nine airlines are currently operating polar routes. See also RAIMRAIM RAIM is the abbreviation for Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring, a technology developed to assess the integrity of... No large Solar Energetic ParticlesSolar Energetic Particles Solar Energetic Particles are high-energy particles coming from the Sun which had been first observed in the early 1940s.... event happened during a manned mission. However, such a large event happened on August 7, 1972, between the Apollo 16Apollo 16 Summary Apollo 16 was the tenth manned mission in the Apollo program and the fifth mission to land on the Moon. ... and Apollo 17Apollo 17 Apollo 17 was the eleventh manned space mission in the NASA Apollo program and was the sixth and last manned mission to date... lunar missions. The dose of particles which would have hit an astronaut outside of earth's protective magnetic field, had this event happened during one of these missions, would have been deadly or at least life-threatening. NozomiNozomi Nozomi was planned as a Mars-orbiting aeronomy probe.... Mars Probe was hit by a large Solar Energetic ParticlesSolar Energetic Particles Solar Energetic Particles are high-energy particles coming from the Sun which had been first observed in the early 1940s.... event on April 21, 2002, which caused large-scale failure. The mission, which was already about 3 years behind schedule, was eventually abandoned in December 2003. Space weather at the Earth’s surface The best known ground-level consequence of space weather is geomagnetically induced currentGeomagnetically induced current Geomagnetically induced currents , affecting the normal operation of long technological conductor systems, are a manifestati... s, or GIC. These are damaging electrical currents that can flow in power grids, pipelines and other conducting networks. Rapid magnetic changes on the ground - that occur during geomagnetic stormGeomagnetic storm A geomagnetic storm is a temporary disturbance of the Earth's magnetosphere.... s and are associated with space weather - can also be important for activities such as geophysical mapping and hydrocarbon production. Geophysical Exploration Air and ship borne magnetic surveysAeromagnetic survey An aeromagnetic survey is a common type of geophysical survey carried out using a magnetometer aboard or towed behind an air... can be affected by rapid magnetic field variations during geomagnetic storms. Storms can cause data interpretation problems where the magnetic field changes due to space weather are of similar magnitude to those of the sub-surface crustal magnetic field in the survey area. Accurate geomagnetic storm warnings, including an assessment of the magnitude and duration of the storm, allows for an economic use of survey equipment. Geophysics and Hydrocarbon Production For economic and other reasons, oil and gas production often involves the directional drillingDirectional drilling Directional drilling is the science of drilling non-vertical wells.... of well paths many kilometres from a single wellhead in both the horizontal and vertical directions. The accuracy requirements are strict, due to target size – reservoirs may only be a few tens to hundreds of metres across – and for safety reasons, because of the proximity of other boreholes. Surveying by the most accurate gyroscopic method is expensive, since it can involve the cessation of drilling for a number of hours. An alternative is to use a magnetic survey, which enables measurement while drilling (MWD). Near real time magnetic data can be used to correct the drilling direction and nearby magnetic observatories prove vital (Clark and Clarke, 2001; Reay et al, 2006). Magnetic data and storm forecasts can also be helpful in clarifying unknown sources of drilling error on an on-going basis. Further reading Clark, T. D. G. and E. Clarke, 2001. Space weather services for the offshore drilling industry. In Space Weather Workshop: Looking Towards a Future European Space Weather Programme. ESTEC, ESA WPP-194. Carlowicz, M. J., and R. E. Lopez, 2002, "Storms from the Sun", Joseph Henry Press, Washington DC. Reay, S. J., W. Allen, O. Baillie, J. Bowe, E. Clarke, V. Lesur, S. Macmillan, 2005. Space weather mom on drilling accuracy in the North Sea. Annales Geophysicae, Vol. 23, pp 3081-3088. Odenwald, S. 2006, "The 23rd Cycle;Learning to live with a stormy star", Columbia University Press, (http://www.astronomycafe.net/weather.html) Links See also Atmospheric physicsAtmospheric physics Atmospheric physics is the application of physics to the study of the atmosphere.... Plasma physics Solar flareSolar flare A solar flare is a violent explosion in the Sun's atmosphere with an energy equivalent to tens of millions of hydrogen bombs... Space explorationSpace exploration Space exploration is the physical exploration of outer space.... Sudden ionospheric disturbanceSudden ionospheric disturbance A sudden ionospheric disturbance is an abnormally high plasma density in the ionosphere caused by an occasional sudden sola... Coronal Mass EjectionCoronal mass ejection A coronal mass ejection is an ejection of material from the solar corona, observed with a white-light coronagraph.... Geomagnetic stormGeomagnetic storm A geomagnetic storm is a temporary disturbance of the Earth's magnetosphere.... Radio propagationRadio propagation Summary Radio propagation is a term used to explain how radio waves behave when they are transmitted, or are propagated from one poi... RAIMRAIM RAIM is the abbreviation for Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring, a technology developed to assess the integrity of... MeteorologyMeteorology Meteorology is the scientific study of the atmosphere that focuses on weather processes and forecasting.... Radio propagationRadio propagation Radio propagation is a term used to explain how radio waves behave when they are transmitted, or are propagated from one poi... Space radiation Bibliography Rainer Schwenn, Space Weather, 3, (2006), 2, . Jean Lilensten and Jean Bornarel, Space Weather, Environment and Societies, Springer, ISBN 9781402043314. External links - (U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is a scientific agency of the United States Department of Commerce focu... [NOAA]) - (NOAA) - (NOAA) - - and - - A complete guide to all known impacts of space weather to technology, human health, and an extensive newspaper archive of reported impacts since 1840 - Space Weather news, forecasts and pictures - popular science writing about the Sun and space weather effects Live and historical data and images with a perspective on how it affects radio propagationRadio propagation Radio propagation is a term used to explain how radio waves behave when they are transmitted, or are propagated from one poi... . Live and archived solar region images and data. (Large bandwidth) Royal Observatory of Belgium / SIDC. Solar and Heliospheric Observatory] Solar and space weather images and data. LASCO solar images and information. - Education site with information and interactives. Firefox plug for monitoring radio propagation, website utility to display HF radio propagation status and article on understanding HF radio propagation forecasting NASANASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the United States Government, responsible for the nation'... May 6 2008