Space Weather

 Introduction-  

Did you ever hear the term space weather? Most of us might have no idea about this term. Let us try to decode and learn more about it  Like we have different weather here on our Planet Earth, similarly, space does have weather too, but it is quite different from what we have here on the ground. Unlike here on earth, Space doesn't rain, doesn't snow but wait, Space has winds. What, What? Does Space have winds?  

Yes, Space has winds, a flow of something really hot that can bake your pizza in just a few nanoseconds. You thought space weather is pleasant and astronauts can finally romance? Ha-ha….

So, we got to know that there is space weather but in the form of winds, any idea what are these winds or Where is it coming from?  Well, these winds are nothing but million-degree hot Breeze comprised of high-energy charged particles or so-called plasma which creates a sort of weather in space that we all call space weather.  

 These wind impacts are extremely strong enough to reach the Earth’s upper atmosphere to create beautiful auroras while a high-intensity wind can affect the technology systems like satellite-based positioning, high-frequency radio communications, navigation, electric power, and so on.  Moreover, space weather can also come in the form of radio blackouts, geomagnetic storms, and solar radiation storms caused by the Sun.  

Do we have any technology to forecast the Space weather?

Like we have been forecasting weather here on Earth, similarly, we have a forecasting system for space weather too. Let me introduce you to the technology called NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) which is the official source for space weather forecasts for the Nation. Well, they forecast solar storms, the same as National weather forecasts weather on Earth. The Space weather Prediction Center forecasters use mainly ground-based instruments and satellites to monitor the Sun, warnings, and alerts if anything happens in the future or dangerous space weather events.  

How do we predict the Space weather condition?

Well, there are some Space Weather Scales for communicating the condition of space weather storms. Space weather forecasters continuously watch the Sun for solar flares and coronal mass ejections to predict these storms. We know, that Solar flares are massive explosions on the Sun's surface. They arise near sunspots and release a wide spectrum of photons such as X-Rays, visible light, and ultraviolet light. The biggest solar storms arise from coronal mass ejections or CME. It is an enormous release of plasma from the Sun and contains billions of solar particles as well as the magnetic field that binds them.

The velocity of a coronal mass ejection can even exceed 5 million miles per hour!

Does the Space Weather affect Earth?

Well, the answer to this question is obvious: it impacts Earth in many ways. We do know that the Earth's magnetic field helps to protect us from the effects of solar storms and ultraviolet rays, but how can space weather affect the Earth? The Strong solar storms can cause the fluctuations of electrical currents in space which directly impact the power grid on Earth and energize electrons and protons trapped in Earth's varying magnetic field.  

These disturbances can cause problems with radio communications, power grids, Global Navigation Satellite Systems such as (Global Positioning Systems -GPS), and satellites. We all are dependent on satellites like cell phones, TV, search, weather prediction, rescue, navigation, military surveillance, credit card, space travel, ATM transactions, and many more. What if all those satellites were damaged? We are becoming more and more dependent on technology so the need for space weather monitoring and forecasting becomes more important in this generation.  

The communication from the ground to the satellite can affect by the Space weather which can reflect, refract, or absorb the radio waves. This includes radio signals from GPS satellites and makes them less accurate. It can easily affect the Earth’s surface and enhanced the currents. The currents can damage the electrical transformers causing the loss of power failures.  

Let me tell you one thing, a storm in 1989 solar maximum caused a massive power outage in Canada when transformers failed in Quebec. This geomagnetic storm caused a nine-hour outage of the Hydroelectricity transmission system. It has been said that if a geomagnetic storm like 1859 hit today (the largest storm hit ever on Earth), then a large number of North American power grids could be disabled, and the estimated recovery times of months to years and financial losses of hundreds of billions of dollars.

 

Credit- Google 

Well, we can discuss a lot about this and can go too deep into that, but I guess first we need to understand the basic portion of the topic and what the storm is capable to do. Hope you like the article and learn many things.  

Article by- Amateur Astronomer Kirti