Well, you learn something new everyday.
So recently, I've been reading up on an article about the 2013 solar storm my friend Jason posted on his Facebook page.
Nope, there wasn't a typo. It really is "2013." Unlike what most of the debate surrounding the 2012 global disaster, NASA scientist have issued a mild, but nonetheless, cautious warning about a more likely scenario that needs our attention. Basically, if I understood correctly, the sun will vent out its solar energy in a solar flare when the next solar cycle peaks, that would be during 2013. When that happens, radiation and solar particles and lots of other things with long confusing names will be coughed right onto the face of mother Earth.
Since, well, ALL of civilization depends on computers and satellites, there will definitely be a huge unavoidable effect. But is it Armageddon? Well NASA is saying no, but that's never going to stop the doomsday-sayers is it?
So I thought it'd be interesting to learn a bit about our long-time neighbor, the sun. With that, I share with you the transcript on NASA's public discussion session , hosted in June, about everything related to the Sun. Mind you, it's long and text-heavy, so I'll just paste the first segment, if you want the whole tuna, follow the link.
On another note, if you aren't following NASA's Tweets or Facebook, you really should. It's full of unbelievable stuff. I'm not Stephen Hawkins, but I don't want to be Fred Flintstone either, you know? Have fun learning!
Ask an Expert: Our Powerful Sun06.17.10 Eight planets and their moons, tens of thousands of asteroids, and trillions of comets revolve around the sun. One of these is our Earth, orbiting the sun at an average distance of about 92,960,000 miles (149,600,000 kilometers). The sun is a huge, glowing ball that provides light, heat, and other energy to our Earth. But our beneficial space neighbor is also capable of some stellar "temper tantrums."
On Thursday, June 17, Dr. David Hathaway, a solar scientist at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, answered your questions about how our sun works and produces phenomena such as sunspots, solar flares, and solar storms -- "hot' topics that have communication and health implications for everyone on Earth.
Check back on this page on Monday for a complete transcript of today's chat.
More About Chat Expert David Hathaway Dr. Hathaway received his doctorate in Astrophysics from the University of Colorado in Boulder, CO in 1979. He worked for two years as a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Advanced Study Program at the National Center for Atmospheric Research before taking a 3-year position as an Assistant Astronomer at the National Solar Observatory site in Sunspot, NM. He came to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL in 1984 where he has been a member of the solar physics group and served as its team leader from 1996 to 2010. He has written over 150 articles on the Sun and solar physics and has received three US patents. He has been the recipient of dozens of awards from within NASA and from the broader scientific community. Hathaway has served on numerous advisory committees as well as elected positions within scientific organizations.
Dr. Hathaway’s primary research interests include the nature and origin of the sunspot cycle and the fluid dynamics of the Sun’s interior. His research includes constructing computer models for flows on the surface of the Sun and analysis programs for extracting those flows from satellite observations. He maintains a database on sunspots, including their sizes and positions, that extends back to the year 1874. This database is widely used by the solar physics community. Data plots, images, and animations produced by Dr. Hathaway are also widely used in many publications by both his scientific colleagues and the scientific press.
Chat Transcript (Moderator) Jason: Today's Chat is Scheduled to Begin at 3pm ET. Please begin to ask your questions by typing them into the box at the bottom of the screen and clicking the 'Ask' button on the right. We'll begin answering them in twenty minutes. Thanks for your patience.
(Moderator) Jason: Hello everyone. Our chat will begin momentarily. Please begin to ask your questions by typing them into the box at the bottom of the screen and clicking the 'Ask' button on the right. We'll begin answering them in a few minutes. Thanks for your patience.
Abishek: Can suns rays reach how more long than Pluto?
David: The sun's rays can reach 4.5 billion light years. Pluto is only three light hours from the sun.
Akarsh_Valsan: Sir, can you explain the major composition of the Sun?
David: The sun is composed of 70% hydrogen, 28% helium, and 2% carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen. This is the composition it was born with from the cloud of gas that it came from long ago.
chaosx: What truly is going to happen during our next solar cycle in 2013. Will it knock out much of the electronics in certain areas of the world?
David: The next solar cycle by most indications will be the weakest in 100 years. We also have satellites and other technology that can help us mitigate the problems associated with flares. However, so much of our technology is sensitive to space weather. We need better predictions and radiation-hardened electronic components.
abishek: Can aurora borealis seen from the earth?
David: Aurora borealis are formed when energetic particles from the sun stream down the Earth's magnetic field lines into the polar regions. It can be seen after many significant solar flares. We just had one last weekend.
g00nne: Hello, I wrote today, the message is probably lost somewhere. Can you tell me some information about the galactic Wednesday and consequent eruption of the Sun 2013? Thank you for your reply.
David: The next solar cycle should reach its peak in mid-2013. Again, we're expecting the weakest solar cycle in 100 years, so the effects should be less than what we've seen in the last few solar cycles.
nomaanakhtar: Do solar flares produce solar winds?
David: Solar flares are huge explosions on the surface of the sun. They typically last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours and can blast a billion tons of matter off of the sun. The solar wind is something altogether different. The solar wind blows off of the sun at all times, with typical speeds of about 1 million mph. We still don't know exactly what causes the solar wind, but we know that it's related to the sun's 1 million degree corona, or outer atmosphere.
Feign: Does the increase of solar flares happen approximately once a decade, and is this increase in flares any different from previous times?
David: The frequency of solar flares rises and falls with the sunspot cycle, which is about 11 years long. The bigger cycles have more flares than the smaller cycles. Nonetheless, a small cycle can produce a really nasty flare!
Feign: Is a large solar flare capable of destroying life on Earth?
David: No. :) The sun has been producing solar flares for 4.5 billion years, and we're still here.
prat: I read that earth's magnetic field is protection us from solar flares. Is it true? ANd how does it protect? What is the actual phenomena?
David: Yes, that's true. The energetic particles produced by solar flares are electrically charged particles that are diverted by magnetic fields. We're also protected by our atmosphere which blocks all but the most energetic particles.
Adam: Hello Jason and David. My question related to solar variability. I'm interested to hear David Hathaway's opinion on the effect that solar variability has on the climate here on Earth. There is a school of thought amongst climate change skeptics that the warming experienced on Earth over the last 150/200 years can be attributed to an increase in solar activity and I am wondering whether David believes that this idea fits the data. Thanks for your time.
David: There do appear to be connections between solar activity and climate. The sun is actually 0.1 % brighter at sunspot cycle maximum than at minimum, but this should only produce about 1/10 degree C change in temperature. The apparent effect is larger than this, but we don't know the exact connection. One possibility is that the sun's ultraviolet light, which varies by 3-4% at sunspot cycle maximum, might influence the Earth's upper atmosphere. Another possibility is cosmic rays, which have higher fluxes at sunspot cycle minimum might produce clouds. We still don't know the full answer on this, but our best estimates are that the sun's contribution to global warming plays a minor role.
nomaan: What are solar flares?
David: Solar flares are explosions produced by twisted magnetic fields in the sun's atmosphere. They produce the energy equivalent of about 1 million megatons of TNT.
nyswimmer: How hot is the sun?
David: The sun is 5,770 degree Kelvin or about 10,000 degrees F at the surface, but it has temperatures of tens of millions of degrees in its core where hydrogen is being converted into helium.
(Moderator) Jason: We're working to get through all of the great questions you've asked us. Keep them coming! To submit your own question, please type it in the box at the bottom of the window and click the 'Ask' button on the right side of the box. Thanks for your patience as we answer your questions.
