Space weather: Explosions on Venus
Scientists have found evidence of 'hot flow anomalies' on Venus, which are similar to those observed on Earth. These events release massive energy and can even deflect the solar wind back towards the sun.
Solar Wind
Articles tagged with Solar Wind
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IBEX: Glimpses of the interstellar material beyond our solar system
The study provides a glimpse into the mysterious neighborhood beyond our home, revealing an environment that doesn't match up with what we see in the solar system. IBEX's observations shed light on the formation of our solar system, the forces that shape it, and even the history of other stars in the Milky Way.
NRL's SoloHI instrument selected for flight on Solar Orbiter mission
The NRL SoloHI instrument will study coronal mass ejections and their effects on the solar wind, impacting power lines, satellite communications, and cell phone service. The Solar Orbiter mission will provide scientists with increased understanding of the Sun's influence on its environment and the solar dynamo.
Solar storms could sandblast the moon
Computer simulations by NASA scientists predict that solar storms and Coronal Mass Ejections can significantly erase the lunar surface, removing a surprising large amount of material. This process, called sputtering, becomes dominant during CMEs due to increased density and velocity.
Why solar wind is rhombic-shaped: RUB researchers report in Physical Review Letters
RUB researchers have solved the puzzle of the solar wind's temperature and energy equipartition by incorporating particle collisions into their model. This new approach explains experimental data significantly better than previous calculations, with implications for other dilute cosmic plasmas.
University of New Hampshire scientists land roles in European and Japanese space missions
The University of New Hampshire will provide instruments for the ESA's Solar Orbiter and JAXA's SCOPE missions. The Solar Orbiter will study the Sun's influence on its environment, while the SCOPE mission will investigate magnetosphere processes and solar flares.
ESA To Collaborate with NASA on Solar Science Mission
The European Space Agency (ESA) will collaborate with NASA on the Solar Orbiter mission, a spacecraft designed to study the powerful influence of the sun. The mission aims to understand how solar activity affects Earth's magnetic environment and potentially damaging satellites.
40-year-old Mariner 5 solar wind problem finds answer -- turbulence doesn't go with the flow
A team of researchers at the University of Warwick has found a solution to a 40-year-old problem in understanding solar wind turbulence. By analyzing data from the Cluster mission and creating a virtual model, they discovered that turbulence is not affected by the direction of travel of the solar wind, resolving a long-standing issue.
New images reveal structures of the solar wind as it travels toward and impacts Earth
New images show the solar wind's dynamic interactions, including piling up at the leading edge of a CME, voids in the interior, long thread-like structures, and V-shaped structures centered on the current sheet. These findings are changing the way scientists think about space weather.
Studying solar wind
The study found that rocky planets, including Earth, are enriched in 17O and 18O by about 6% relative to 16O. This supports the 'isotopic self-shielding' mechanism, where photolysis of carbon monoxide liberates oxygen atoms that are sequestered into water molecules.
Solar wind samples give insight into birth of solar system
The Genesis mission has provided the first oxygen and nitrogen isotopic measurements of the Sun, showing significant differences from those on Earth. These results suggest that the solar system was formed through a complex process, with different astrophysical mechanisms contributing to the composition of space dust.
New insights on how solar minimums affect Earth
A team of scientists found that solar minimums lead to geomagnetic effects on Earth due to the speed of the solar wind, interplanetary magnetic field strength, and coronal hole placement. Coronal holes caused a decrease in solar wind speed and southward magnetic components, resulting in lower geomagnetic effects.
New battery produces electricity where freshwater meets saltwater
Scientists have developed a new 'mixing entropy battery' that generates electricity by alternating freshwater and seawater through the device. The technology has promising potential as an additional renewable energy source, with the ability to also desalinate ocean water for drinking.
Wind and solar can reliably supply 25 percent of Oahu's electricity need, new study shows
A new study by the University of Hawaii at Manoa found that combining on-Oahu wind farms and solar energy could meet over 25% of Oahu's projected electricity demand. The study suggests that implementing large-scale wind and solar projects on Oahu can maintain system reliability while eliminating the need to burn fossil fuels.
Affordability of batteries key to harnessing wind and solar power
A comprehensive review of electrochemical energy storage systems reveals promising technologies like vanadium redox flow, sodium-beta alumina membrane, lithium-ion, and lead-carbon batteries. These systems can store electrical energy in chemicals and release it upon demand, but affordability is key to widespread deployment.
ARPA-E grant will fund NC State research on smart grid technologies
North Carolina State University is developing a transformerless intelligent power substation (TIPS) to enable direct interconnection of renewable energy resources and energy storage systems to the grid. The project aims to improve grid power quality and reliability through enhanced communication.
The world can be powered by alternative energy, using today's technology, in 20-40 years
A new study suggests that converting to clean, renewable energy sources is technologically and economically feasible within 20-40 years. The plan involves using wind, water, and solar power to generate electricity, with a focus on combining these sources to overcome variability challenges.
UNH space physicist honored as American Geophysical Union Fellow
Eberhard Möbius, a professor at the University of New Hampshire, has been recognized as a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union for his exceptional scientific contributions to space plasma physics. His work on pickup ions in the solar wind and the development of state-of-the-art instrumentation have far-reaching applications in gala...
EU project to build Electric Solar Wind Sail
The EU-funded ESAIL project aims to develop the laboratory prototypes of key electric sail components. A full-scale electric sail is estimated to produce a continuous thrust of one newton while weighing only 100 kg.
2 THEMIS probes redirected to moon to study magnetosphere, solar wind interactions
The ARTEMIS mission involves two micro-satellites orbiting the moon, providing a three-dimensional perspective on energetic particle acceleration near the moon's orbit. The mission will also explore the space environment of the moon and its interaction with the solar wind.
Planar power
Researchers at PNNL have redesigned sodium-nickel chloride batteries to deliver 30% more power at lower temperatures, making them safer and cheaper to manufacture than lithium-ion batteries. The planar design enables compact stacking, improving the battery's performance for large-scale energy storage.
MAVEN mission to investigate how sun steals Martian atmosphere
The sun uses its solar wind and ultraviolet radiation to strip Mars' atmosphere, making it cold and dry. MAVEN will examine the ways the sun loses the Martian atmosphere and measure hydrogen isotope ratios to discover how much water has been lost to space.
Cluster helps disentangle turbulence in the solar wind
Scientists have observed Alfvén waves in the solar wind that point perpendicular to the magnetic field, efficiently transferring energy to protons. These waves play a crucial role in heating protons and explaining the solar wind's temperature changes.
IBEX finds surprising changes at solar boundary
The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) spacecraft has made significant discoveries about the interaction between the solar wind and interstellar space. The spacecraft has found that the strength of the interaction varies dramatically across the sky, with a long 'ribbon' and an intense hotspot detected in the heliosheath. These findi...
NRL's Wide-Field Imager selected for Solar Probe Plus mission
The Solar Probe Plus mission will explore the sun's corona and solar wind in unprecedented detail. The NRL's Wide-field Imager will provide direct measurements of the plasma and create 3-D images of clouds and shocks.
CfA will play major role in mission to 'touch' the sun
The Center for Astrophysics (CfA) will play a major role in NASA's Solar Probe Plus mission by deploying the Solar Wind Electrons Alphas and Protons (SWEAP) Investigation. SWEAP will directly sample the Sun's outer atmosphere, providing unprecedented insights into the Sun's effects on the solar system.
Can the world be powered mainly by solar and wind energy?
Walter Kohn predicts a new era in human history where solar and wind power dominate global energy, driven by growing alternative energy production and declining oil and gas reserves. International cooperation is crucial to addressing the challenges of a rapidly changing energy landscape.
IBEX spacecraft finds discoveries close to home
The IBEX spacecraft has mapped interactions between the solar wind and Earth's magnetosphere, revealing a chaotic pileup of charged particles along the magnetopause. The study provides new insights into the tenuous nature of Earth's outer exosphere and its interaction with the solar wind.
Scientists find moon whiskers
Researchers at the Carnegie Institution's Geophysical Laboratory detected and dated Moon carbon in the form of graphite, which survived from the late heavy bombardment era 3.8 billion years ago. The discovery provides a record of the meteoritic carbon input to the Earth-Moon system when life was emerging on Earth.
Lunar polar craters may be electrified
Researchers found that solar wind flowing over lunar polar craters creates a complex electrical environment, affecting surface chemistry and dust cling. The team's calculations reveal that the inside walls and floor acquire a negative electric charge due to electron-ion separation, posing challenges for future exploration.
Lost into space
Space physicists from the University of Leicester have identified a significant contributor to Mars' atmospheric escape: pressure from solar wind pulses. The team found that these pulses can drive away particles from Mars' atmosphere, causing a loss of about one third of the material lost into space.
Oldest measurement of Earth's magnetic field reveals battle between sun and Earth for our atmosphere
Researchers found that the Earth's magnetic field 3.5 billion years ago was weaker than today, making it easier for solar winds to strip away water from the early atmosphere. The stronger solar wind likely caused more polar aurora and reduced water vapor levels, with potential implications for modern-day water availability.
Weir in space and dimmed sun creates 200-million-mile-long lab bench for turbulence research
Researchers use Ulysses spacecraft and solar minimum to create a 200-million-mile-long virtual lab bench for turbulent flows. They find that the evolution of turbulence is governed by the same generalised scaling function, suggesting a universal basic property governing magnetohydrodynamic turbulence.
Shifting the world to 100 percent clean, renewable energy as early as 2030 -- here are the numbers
Stanford University researchers propose that transitioning to renewable energy could reduce global power demand by 30%, making it cheaper than fossil fuels or nuclear energy. The study finds that wind, water, and solar energy can meet the world's power demands with minimal land area required.
Satellite reveals surprising cosmic 'weather' at edge of solar system
The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) satellite has revealed an unexpected landmark at the outer edge of the solar wind bubble, forming a giant ribbon of energetic neutral atoms. The structure is associated with enhanced production of energetic neutral atoms due to interstellar magnetic forces.
First IBEX maps reveal fascinating interactions occurring at the edge of the solar system
IBEX maps show a narrow ribbon of intense emissions at the edge of the solar system, contradicting previous theories. The data suggests the interstellar environment has a significant influence on the heliosphere's structure.
More to solar cycle than sunspots; sun also bombards Earth with high-speed streams of wind
Scientists have found that the number of sunspots provides an incomplete measure of changes in the Sun's impact on Earth over the course of the 11-year solar cycle. High-speed streams of wind from the Sun intensify the energy of Earth's outer radiation belt, posing hazards to satellites and space travelers.
Signs of ideal surfing conditions spotted in ocean of solar wind
Researchers at the University of Warwick have discovered a new type of turbulence in the solar wind that enables plasma particles to exchange energy without collisions. This finding has significant implications for fusion power development and could provide insights into energy dissipation in solar system-sized plasmas.
Renewable energies will benefit US workers
A new study suggests that transitioning to renewable energy sources like wind and solar could eliminate 130 worker deaths annually. The researchers found that these industries pose significantly less risk of workplace injury and death compared to traditional fossil fuel industries.
AGU journal highlights -- July 2, 2009
Climate model simulations suggest the Toba supervolcano's eruption caused a decade of severe volcanic winters, with devastating consequences for humanity and ecosystems. The study also analyzed fault movement during the Wenchuan earthquake, finding that simultaneous ruptures of two faults contributed to the disaster. Additionally, scie...
IBEX spacecraft detects fast neutral hydrogen coming from the moon
The IBEX spacecraft has made the first observations of very fast hydrogen atoms coming from the moon, shedding light on the 'recycling' process undertaken by particles throughout the solar system and beyond. The neutral atoms can travel long distances before they are stripped of their electrons and become ions.
Magnetic tornadoes could liberate Mercury's tenuous atmosphere
Scientists have discovered magnetic tornadoes on Mercury that could be replenishing its extremely thin atmosphere. These 'tornadoes' form when magnetic fields carried by the solar wind connect to Mercury's magnetic field, twisting into vortex-like structures.
Virginia Tech engineers study space weather conditions that affect our lives
Researchers are building additional radar units to monitor global space weather and its impact on human life. The new radars will join three existing mid-latitude radars for a continuous chain of coverage from Europe to eastern Asia.
Breathing cycles in Earth's upper atmosphere tied to solar wind disturbances
A University of Colorado at Boulder study reveals that periodic 'breathing' of the Earth's upper atmosphere is triggered by cyclic solar wind disturbances, which can alter satellite drag and cause communication disruptions. The findings should improve models for tracking satellites and predicting electronic communication issues.
A special issue on space physics
Papers in this special issue cover data analysis and investigations of the Double Star Program, as well as CMEs, Solar wind, and magnetosphere topics. The conference brought together prominent researchers, including Z.X.LIU and S.T. WU, to share their latest findings on solar and magnetospheric physics.
NASA to Web cast IBEX spacecraft launch on Pegasus rocket Oct. 19
The IBEX spacecraft will conduct high-altitude orbits to investigate and capture images of the interstellar boundary, a region where the solar system meets interstellar space. The two-year mission will provide insights into the dynamic interactions between the hot solar wind and cold expanse of space.
Université de Montréal astrophysicists 'weigh' galaxy's most massive star
A team of astrophysicists from the University of Montreal has discovered and measured the most massive star ever found, a binary system with a total mass of over 100 solar masses. The star, located in the NGC 3603 cluster, has a rotation period of 3.77 days and emits X-rays at unprecedented levels.
Space science simulation at UNH now better, faster, cheaper
Researchers at UNH have developed a supercomputer using PlayStation3 consoles to simulate the interaction between Earth's magnetic field and the solar wind. The new system can perform up to 8 trillion operations per second, paving the way for future civilian teraflop machines.
AGU Journal Highlights -- June 11, 2008
A study finds that east Siberia's permafrost contains 500 Gt of frozen carbon deposits susceptible to disturbances from climate warming. The permafrost's irreversible thawing could release 2-2.8 Gt of carbon into the atmosphere annually between 2300 and 2400, transforming 74% of the initial carbon stock.
NASA calls on APL to send a probe to the sun
The Solar Probe mission will study the streams of charged particles emitted by the sun, exploring the processes that heat its corona and produce solar wind. The spacecraft will zip past the sun at speeds up to 125 miles per second, gathering data on magnetic fields, energy flow, and energetic particle formation.
UC Riverside space scientist receives unusual grant from the Department of Energy
Nikolai Pogorelov, a UC Riverside researcher, has been awarded 850,000 processor hours on the seventh fastest computer in the world to study the outer heliosphere and its interaction with interstellar medium. The research will help plan future space missions and analyze fluxes of galactic cosmic rays.
NASA spacecraft make new discoveries about Northern Lights
A NASA fleet of spacecraft has made significant discoveries about Northern Lights, revealing giant magnetic ropes and small explosions in the Earth's magnetic field. The THEMIS mission observed a rapidly developing substorm, confirming the existence of these structures and witnessing vivid auroras for over two hours.
Voyager 2 proves solar system is squashed
Voyager 2 has entered the heliosheath, a vast region at the edge of our solar system where the solar wind meets interstellar space. The spacecraft's Plasma Science instrument provided direct measurements of the solar wind, revealing an unusual shock wave with lower temperatures than predicted.
MIT instrument finds surprises at solar system's edge
The Voyager 2 spacecraft has detected a strong magnetic field in the interstellar region, distorting the bubble of outflowing gas from the sun. Additionally, the temperature was found to be ten times cooler than expected just outside the boundary, sparking new explanations.
Hinode mission delves into solar mysteries
The Hinode space mission has made groundbreaking discoveries about the Sun's surface and atmosphere, shedding light on long-standing mysteries. Researchers found evidence of Alfvén waves, which could heat the corona to extreme temperatures and accelerate the solar wind.
Hinode reveals new insights about the origin of solar wind
Hinode satellite data sheds light on sun's magnetic field and solar wind formation, revealing Alfvén waves play a critical role in driving the solar wind. Magnetic reconnection and convective motions also contribute to its creation.
Computer simulation predicts Voyager 2 will reach major milestone in space in late 2007–early 2008
Computer simulation predicts Voyager 2 will reach major milestone in space, crossing the 'termination shock' one more time in mid-2008. The spacecraft's expected crossing of the spherical shell marks a significant event in its journey into interstellar space.
Washington University scientists analyze solar wind samples from Genesis mission
Scientists analyzed neon and argon samples from NASA's Genesis mission to determine the isotopic composition of noble gases in the sun. The results show that the isotopic composition is consistent across different regimes of solar wind, indicating that measuring solar wind samples can represent the solar corona.
AGU journal highlights -- Sept. 6, 2007
Researchers have made significant discoveries in the AGU journal, including a new understanding of booming sand dunes, a reduction in the North Asian monsoon's incursion since AD 1400, and improvements in global ocean analysis. The study on booming sand dunes reveals that sound waves channeled through the dune amplify as they construct...
Screaming CMEs warn of radiation storms
CMEs can produce radiation storms, but detecting them through radio signals may provide warning to astronauts and satellite operators. Strong CME shocks accelerate particles in the solar wind, producing both radio signals and radiation storms.