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Solar Wind reduced by 20%, causes alarming outbreak of astronomy discussion!
Morninglord
I'm tired of being Batman,so today I'll be Owl.Registered User regular
I'm tired of being Batman,so today I'll be Owl.Registered User regular
I'm drawing no conclusions, I just found this article interesting.
Please read it before replying with any implications, it covers a lot.
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/23sep_solarwind.htm
The changes are apparently due to reductions in temperature and density.
This has interesting implications for climate change, but I have no idea how or why I'm not in that field. Still a drop in temperature of that size is pretty big.
The heliosphere being reduced is also interesting.
Whats up big sun.
Now I'm not trying to sound alarmist, I don't feel threatened by this change and I don't see any evidence that anybody else should. I just found it interesting.
This is also a general astronomy thread so feel free to talk about anything related to the solar system and such that this might effect.
I also want to make it clear again, although the article might appear a bit inflammatory that's not how I took this. If you read only the quotes it comes across as just an interesting astronomy event. I really just want to have a nice discussion about space stuff.
Please read it before replying with any implications, it covers a lot.
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/23sep_solarwind.htm
"The average pressure of the solar wind has dropped more than 20% since the mid-1990s," says Dave McComas of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas. "This is the weakest it's been since we began monitoring solar wind almost 50 years ago."
The changes are apparently due to reductions in temperature and density.
"The solar wind isn't inflating the heliosphere as much as it used to," says McComas. "That means less shielding against cosmic rays."
In addition to weakened solar wind, "Ulysses also finds that the sun's underlying magnetic field has weakened by more than 30% since the mid-1990s," says Posner. "This reduces natural shielding even more."
Unpublished Ulysses cosmic ray data show that, indeed, high energy (GeV) electrons, a minor but telltale component of cosmic rays around Earth, have jumped in number by about 20%.
These extra particles pose no threat to people on Earth's surface. Our thick atmosphere and planetary magnetic field provide additional layers of protection that keep us safe.
But any extra cosmic rays can have consequences. If the trend continues, astronauts on the Moon or en route to Mars would get a higher dose of space radiation. Robotic space probes and satellites in high Earth orbit face an increased risk of instrument malfunctions and reboots due to cosmic ray strikes. Also, there are controversial studies linking cosmic ray fluxes to cloudiness and climate change on Earth. That link may be tested in the years ahead.
This has interesting implications for climate change, but I have no idea how or why I'm not in that field. Still a drop in temperature of that size is pretty big.
The heliosphere being reduced is also interesting.
Whats up big sun.
Now I'm not trying to sound alarmist, I don't feel threatened by this change and I don't see any evidence that anybody else should. I just found it interesting.
This is also a general astronomy thread so feel free to talk about anything related to the solar system and such that this might effect.
I also want to make it clear again, although the article might appear a bit inflammatory that's not how I took this. If you read only the quotes it comes across as just an interesting astronomy event. I really just want to have a nice discussion about space stuff.
(PSN: Morninglord) (Steam: Morninglord) (WiiU: Morninglord22) I like to record and toss up a lot of random gaming videos here.
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yaaaay
Please don't inject alarm into this you have no evidence for!
The Sun's going out, and we're all going to die.
Only the Large Hadron Collider can save us now.
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Correct. AFAIK, total solar irradiance hasn't changed much in the last 50 years, which is the main solar output that heats the atmosphere.
The article which you read.
Right?
I'm only talking about the solar winds temperature. Only that, not the suns overall temperature. I'm only saying stuff I found in the article.
?
But really, we've been measuring this for 50 years, how much can we really extrapolate from a drop? It may well be a cyclical thing like sunspots.
steam
steam
Nope, the article that I skimmed. I've just never heard anyone refer to solar winds as having temperature so I asked.
It's cool man I'm just oversensitive that nobody ever reads links. Sorry about being snappish.
I know I'm hilariously serious about all the wrong things.
I could definitely see it being possible that variations in solar wind would leave traces in geologic records or fossils etc. I'm sure I remember other sun related changes being recorded in trees, though maybe I'm wrong.
steam
But wouldn't the magnetosphere diffuse most of it? And the atmosphere?
Seems like the asteroid belt would be a better bet for that sort of thing. Even the moon is partially protected by the earth isn't it?
Are there any planets with no magnetosphere and no atmosphere we could send a probe to?
No worries, your* a fellow Chosen on a server that isn't the server I play Order on so all is forgiven.
*Just for you, Cat ;-)
Long term to a human, not a sun. Context!
I was hoping I could avoid "is this a problem" based thinking but I see I'll just have to ride it out.
You are all free to talk about other astronomy topics you think are relevant. I love space.
edit: Done. I like my new title.
What does this mean for them?
I think the only bodies that would be that dead (aside from Earth's moon) would be the gas giant moons, and they're too far away from the Sun and also are being constantly bombarded by radiation and so forth from their parents. Mars might be the best bet, with its thin atmosphere and almost zero magnetic field.
Venus has that thick atmosphere.
So the asteroid belt is probably still the best bet.