Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




SOLAR SCIENCE
Solar Storm Dumps Gigawatts into Earth's Upper Atmosphere
by Dr. Tony Phillips for NASA Science News
Huntsville AL (SPX) Mar 27, 2012


Earth's atmosphere lights up at infrared wavelengths during the solar storms of March 8-10, 2012. A ScienceCast video explains the physics of this phenomenon.

A recent flurry of eruptions on the sun did more than spark pretty auroras around the poles. NASA-funded researchers say the solar storms of March 8th through 10th dumped enough energy in Earth's upper atmosphere to power every residence in New York City for two years.

"This was the biggest dose of heat we've received from a solar storm since 2005," says Martin Mlynczak of NASA Langley Research Center. "It was a big event, and shows how solar activity can directly affect our planet."

Mlynczak is the associate principal investigator for the SABER instrument onboard NASA's TIMED satellite. SABER monitors infrared emissions from Earth's upper atmosphere, in particular from carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitric oxide (NO), two substances that play a key role in the energy balance of air hundreds of km above our planet's surface.

"Carbon dioxide and nitric oxide are natural thermostats," explains James Russell of Hampton University, SABER's principal investigator. "When the upper atmosphere (or 'thermosphere') heats up, these molecules try as hard as they can to shed that heat back into space."

That's what happened on March 8th when a coronal mass ejection (CME) propelled in our direction by an X5-class solar flare hit Earth's magnetic field. (On the "Richter Scale of Solar Flares," X-class flares are the most powerful kind.) Energetic particles rained down on the upper atmosphere, depositing their energy where they hit. The action produced spectacular auroras around the poles and significant1 upper atmospheric heating all around the globe.

"The thermosphere lit up like a Christmas tree," says Russell. "It began to glow intensely at infrared wavelengths as the thermostat effect kicked in."

For the three day period, March 8th through 10th, the thermosphere absorbed 26 billion kWh of energy. Infrared radiation from CO2 and NO, the two most efficient coolants in the thermosphere, re-radiated 95% of that total back into space.

In human terms, this is a lot of energy. According to the New York City mayor's office, an average NY household consumes just under 4700 kWh annually. This means the geomagnetic storm dumped enough energy into the atmosphere to power every home in the Big Apple for two years.

"Unfortunately, there's no practical way to harness this kind of energy," says Mlynczak. "It's so diffuse and out of reach high above Earth's surface. Plus, the majority of it has been sent back into space by the action of CO2 and NO."

During the heating impulse, the thermosphere puffed up like a marshmallow held over a campfire, temporarily increasing the drag on low-orbiting satellites. This is both good and bad. On the one hand, extra drag helps clear space junk out of Earth orbit. On the other hand, it decreases the lifetime of useful satellites by bringing them closer to the day of re-entry.

The storm is over now, but Russell and Mlynczak expect more to come.

"We're just emerging from a deep solar minimum," says Russell. "The solar cycle is gaining strength with a maximum expected in 2013."

More sunspots flinging more CMEs toward Earth adds up to more opportunities for SABER to study the heating effect of solar storms.

"This is a new frontier in the sun-Earth connection," says Mlynczak, "and the data we're collecting are unprecedented."

.


Related Links
TIMED
SABER
Solar Science News at SpaceDaily






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








SOLAR SCIENCE
Space Observations of Mercury Transits Yield Precise Solar Radius
Manoa HI (SPX) Mar 27, 2012
A group of scientists from Hawaii, Brazil and California has measured the diameter of the Sun with unprecedented accuracy by using a spacecraft to time the transits of the planet Mercury across the face of the Sun in 2003 and 2006. They measured the Sun's radius as 696,342 km (432,687 miles) with an uncertainty of only 65 km (40 miles). This was achieved by using the solar telescope aboard ... read more


SOLAR SCIENCE
NASA's Grail MoonKam Returns First Student-Selected Lunar Images

Ecliptic "MoonKAM" Systems Begin Operations in Lunar Orbit

Two New NASA LRO Videos: See Moon's Evolution, Take a Tour

China to get lunar soil

SOLAR SCIENCE
A glow in the Martian night throws light on atmospheric circulation

Mars Science Laboratory Adjusts Orbital Path And Tests Instruments

Geologists discover new class of landform - on Mars

Red Food For the Red Planet

SOLAR SCIENCE
Not your average heat shield

NASA Seeks Space Launch System Advanced Development Solutions

Patent requests in Europe reach record in 2011

SciTechTalk: Can long space missions work?

SOLAR SCIENCE
China's Lunar Docking

Shenzhou-9 may take female astronaut to space

China to launch 100 satellites during 2011-15

Three for Tiangong

SOLAR SCIENCE
ESA Cargo Ship Carries Research and Technology Investigations to ISS

Japan Shares ISS SMILES via Atmospheric Data Distribution

ATV Edoardo Amaldi set for liftoff

Astrium: double delivery for ATV-3 Edoardo Amaldi launch

SOLAR SCIENCE
ILS Proton Launches Intelsat 22

US ramping up private sector's role in spaceflight

Europe's smart supply ship on its way to Space Station

Third Ariane 5 ready for launch in 2012

SOLAR SCIENCE
Runaway Planets Zoom at a Fraction of Light-Speed

Some orbits more popular than others in solar systems

Herschel's new view on giant planet formation

Kepler Statistical Analysis Suggests Earthlike Planets Extremely Rare

SOLAR SCIENCE
Russia to Focus on Its Orbital Cluster - Popovkin

Materials inspired by Mother Nature: A 1-pound boat that could float 1,000 pounds

Soviet Weather Satellite to Fall to Earth

Boeing Receives Phased Array Antenna System Contract from Yahsat




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement