endeavour_soho_intro

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What is it? Why should we care? SOHO/STEREO Space Weather Web Version

The Sun and something else - what is it? : 

The Sun and something else - what is it?

Something’s odd here -- not sunspots : 

Something’s odd here -- not sunspots (Answer on next page)

Look familiar? : 

Look familiar? This is the International Space Station and the NASA space shuttle (left) in silhouette as photographed by an amateur with a telescope with a solar filter.

Slide 5: 

The sun calmly rises each morning in the east, just like clockwork. Credit: the SolarMax IMAX film

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The Sun, with all the planets revolving around it, and depending on it, . . . Credit: Chris Linder

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can still ripen a bunch of grapes as though . . . Credit: Chris Linder

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. . . it had nothing else in the universe to do. . . . Galileo Credit: Chris Linder

From Earth to the Sun : 

From Earth to the Sun Soar from the White House into space, past the moon, and beyond. See the planet Mercury eclipse the Sun, glide under a solar prominence, then fly through solar magnetic loops on the Sun’s surface and land in a sunspot. Play: Earth_to_Sun.mov

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Even students can see the Sun too! Solar viewing

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Ground-based telescopes observe the Sun in wavelengths of light that reach the ground . . . but spacecraft study the Sun in other wavelengths of light almost every minute.

Our Solar System : 

Our Solar System The Sun is the center of our solar system. All the planets and comets, everything in the solar system revolves around it. At any given time about half the Earth sees the Sun and half is in darkness. Play: Solsys2.mov

The Milky Way galaxy : 

The Milky Way galaxy Galaxies are huge clusters of stars Our galaxy, the Milky Way, is just one of perhaps billions of galaxies in the universe There are more stars than grains of sand on Earth Our Milky Way galaxy seen at night

The changing Sun : 

The changing Sun The Sun, like all stars, is a busy star. It is always active, always changing. The more we learn about it, the more we learn about all stars. Play: EITmain.mov

Where the action is : 

Where the action is Nuclear activity occurs in the Sun’s core Hydrogen atoms combine to form helium and release huge amounts of energy, radiation and light It takes over 10,000 years for the light to get to the Sun’s surface The temperature there is about 15 million degrees C. The Sun vibrates from material moving inside of it and we have translated those sensed vibrations into sound. With QuickTime, play Sun_sound.aif loud to hear it hum.

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The Sun is also the source of radiation and storms that we call SPACE WEATHER! Credit: the SolarMax IMAX film The video shows the Sun and its extended corona blasting out numerous solar storms Play: Bursts.mov

Solar Cycles : 

Solar Cycles Since about 1750, people have kept written records of sunspots, so that we know of the solar cycle, which is the rise and fall of sunspot numbers (and solar activity) about every 11 years. This is due to the Sun’s north and south poles changing places.

The last solar cycle : 

The last solar cycle The Sun reached peak level at late 2000 The next solar active period (around 2011-12) is expected to be quite strong Dotted lines show the range of what is predicted; the solid curve is the average; jagged lines are actual monthly counts

Speaking of size. . . planets : 

Speaking of size. . . planets

Star sizes : 

Star sizes

Solar Rotation : 

Solar Rotation This causes magnetic field lines to become twisted and stretched to the breaking point like a rubber band. These lines eventually break. This creates heat, energy, and solar blasts of charged particles. Play: Dynamo.mov

Sunspots : 

Sunspots A sunspot is a an area controlled by strong magnetic forces where hot gases from inside the Sun are blocked from reaching the surface. Therefore, they are cooler than the rest of the Sun and appear darker. They can last anywhere from hours to months. The Sun as seen here rotates about every 27 days. Play: Spinning.mov

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The average sunspot is about the size of Earth, though the largest can be 20 times the size of Earth.

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This close-up video shows how sunspots and the Sun’s surface can change in just half an hour. Play: Spot_closeup.mov

Magnetic forces : 

Magnetic forces Magnetic forces get tangled up in sunspots, and make the area cooler and darker. When a “normal” surface image is compared to a black and white magnetic image of the Sun (see video clip), the sunspots line up almost exactly with areas of magnetic power. Sunspots are magnetic features of the Sun. Play: MDImag.mov

Storms at their source : 

When the magnetic forces above sunspots tear apart, violent storms can burst from the Sun. This is the main source of our strongest space weather events, either coronal mass ejections or solar flares. The white specks near the end of the clip are particles from the blast hitting the spacecraft’s camera. Storms at their source Play: Source.mov

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) : 

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) CMEs are large solar storms that blast out a cloud of billions of tons of particles at over two million Km per hour. Smaller ones can occur almost any day. The storm clouds reach Earth in 1 to 3 days, but only a few of them ever head our way. Play: CMEstorm.mov

Solar flares : 

Solar flares Flares are quick, intense but smaller explosions than CMEs They appear as bright flashes, followed by a burst of radiation and protons that travel at half the speed of light. Large flares can occur a few times a year. (Green tint has been added) Play: Flare.mov

Magnetic struggles : 

In ultraviolet light (that human eyes can’t even see), the area above a sunspot is seen from the side as wildly violent asmagnetic forces fight for control. The video shows about two days of activity. Magnetic struggles Play: Active_edge.mov

Stormy weather : 

In October 2003 the Sun produced a record series of strong storms. This video (green color added) shows many bursts of solar storms. The largest are coronal mass ejections. The brightest flashes are solar flares. Stormy weather Play: Oct_storms.mov

CME in slow motion : 

CME in slow motion Seen in slow-motion clip with the Sun blocked (red disk) to reveal the faint corona, we see a coronal mass ejection (CME) bursting into space over a few hours. The white circle represents the covered Sun. Play: Slo_mo.mov

CME clouds heading into space : 

CME clouds heading into space With the Sun itself blocked out so that we can see a wide area around it, clouds of particles blasted out into space at about 2 million kilometers per hour. This clip shows five days of powerful solar activity. Play: Blue_storms.mov

Earth’s magnetic shield : 

Earth’s magnetic shield Earth is like a big magnet. It has a magnetic field with north and south poles. This protective region is called the magnetosphere. It prevents most of the particles from the Sun from hitting the Earth. Some particles that do get through the shield create the aurora light displays. Play: Magneto.mov

A solar storm heads our way : 

A solar storm heads our way The cloud of particles hits Earth’s magnetic shield, flows to the back side, builds up energy there, and snaps back into our atmosphere near the Poles along the magnetic field lines. Normal shape Changed by CME Play: Sun_expl.mov

Aurora from space : 

Aurora from space Aurora develop around 40 miles (70 Km) above Earth -- you can see their depth here.

Aurora : 

Aurora The aurora, often called the Northern and Southern Lights, are colorful, visible signs of the Sun’s electrical connection to the Earth. The video clip shows aurora in real time as it changes -- not speeded up. Video credit: Aurora Experience Play: Aurora.mov

Space weather upsets : 

Space weather upsets There are less pleasant space weather effects. Energy pumped into our atmosphere upsets modern technology. Communications do not work right. Satellites above Earth can be damaged. On the ground, electrical equipment on Earth can burn out. Power system damage Communication disruptions Spacecraft malfunctions Navigational problems Play: Impacts.mov

Astronaut safety : 

Astronaut safety Astronauts can get high doses of radiation from solar storms and cosmic radiation when out in space. For humans to travel to the Moon and Mars, better storm prediction and shielding will be needed.

Why do we care so much? : 

Why do we care so much? Our society is becoming more dependent on technology today The most rapidly growing area of communications is satellite-based Change in technology more sensitive payloads high performance components More and longer manned missions

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Global Warming Is the Sun causing the Earth to get warmer? That is one topic that scientists who study the Sun and Earth are trying to figure out. Studies seem to show that man-made causes are mostly to blame. Changes in the Sun may cause a little warming.

Solar exploration in space : 

NASA is involved in exploring the Sun and space weather. SOHO (the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) has been the main solar watchdog for over 11 years. Another, TRACE, is learning more about solar storms. And there are others too! Solar exploration in space Play: RedSun.mov

SOHO : 

SOHO • This joint mission of NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) has been studying the Sun since 1996 Instruments study the Sun all day, every day Major tool for watching out for space weather It weighs 2 tons; solar panels span 25 ft, (30 m) SOHO is 1 million miles (1.6 million Km) out in space towards the Sun (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) Play: SOHO_fly.mov

TRACE : 

TRACE Studies the Sun and solar events at a much smaller scale than SOHO Launched in 1999 Works closely with SOHO Play: TRACE.mov

Some TRACE Results : 

Some TRACE Results Close-ups of flares and loops

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The newest solar mission, STEREO, launched in Oct. 2006, is unique. A pair of nearly identical NASA spacecraft study the Sun from positions ahead of and trailing Earth. They provided 3-D views of solar storms for the first time ever and continue to separate further to observe more and more of the Sun. Play: STEREO_Station.mov

First image of the Sun from STEREO : 

First image of the Sun from STEREO This looks a lot like a SOHO image, doesn’t it? The difference is in the level of details that the STEREO imager can capture -- four times as much! The movie shows looping arcs above active regions taken in June 2007. Play: arcs_web.mov

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3-D Sun Scientists have waited for years to view the first ever 3-D views of the Sun from STEREO and at a level of detail never seen before! (You need 3D glasses to see this in 3D) This was made by combining an image from each STEREO spacecraft taken at the same time from their different viewpoints.

More solar missions : 

More solar missions Other NASA missions exist or are planned for launch to study and monitor space weather. These will offer a way to observe the Sun-Earth connections as a whole system. TIMED THEMIS Solar-B Magnetospheric Multi-Scale Solar Sentinels This next still image show the whole fleet (yellow text = not launched yet)

Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) : 

Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) A “supercharged” SOHO Launches in late 2008 (hopefully) With images 4 times more detailed and much more often than SOHO or STEREO

Watching the Sun : 

Solar activity is being watched around the clock. If there is a possible impact predicted from a solar storm, alerts are sent out to the rest of the world. Watching the Sun

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NASA will continue to explore the Sun-Earth connection over the next years. The more we depend on technology, the more we need to understand space weather and how it can affect our lives. Video clip: SolarMax, Chicago Museum of Science & Industry Play: Finale.mov

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THE END