WHY SHOULD I CARE?
Cycles in nature have been observed for thousands of years. In the technology age of today there is increasing scientific interest in natural cycles related to our Sun.
- 1.Changes in the Sun during solar cycles can damage satellites. Many of our daily activities depend upon weather forecasts, television broadcasts, telephone services, navigational aids, and other scientific information provided by an estimated $110 billion dollars in orbiting satellite technology. Recently some of theses vital instruments were disabled after being bombarded by high-energy electrons triggered by the Sun.
2. Changes in the Sun during solar cycles effect solar irradiance. Changes in the output of electromagnetic energy from the Sun (irradiance) have an impact upon the Earth system.
3. Changes in the Sun during solar cycles changes gases in our atmosphere. Scientists are currently studying how charged particles from the Sun effect the chemistry of the upper atmosphere.
4. Auroras are cool!
SCIENCE CONTENT
Basic Terminology
- Sunspots - A dark appearing spot on the surface of the Sun that shows up because it is cooler than the surrounding areas.
Sunspot Cycle - A cycle of increasing and decreasing numbers of sunspots over a period of years.
Magnetosphere - The magnetic field extending Earth’s magnetic poles and surrounding the Earth. (The Geomagnetic field is often called the magnetosphere.)
Solar Wind - A stream of charged particles produced by the Sun.
Aurora - Lights in night sky created by the interaction of
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charged particles and the Earth’s upper atmosphere.
- Solar Irradiance - The amount of electromagnetic energy incident on a surface per unit time per unit area. In the past this quantity has often been referred to as "flux".
Cycles
Our Sun is a variable star that goes through 27 day rotational cycles and an ~11 year Sun Spot cycle. As the Sun goes through these cycles there are variations in solar surface activity (sunspots, solar flares), the emission of electromagnetic energy (wavelengths and intensities), and in the emission of charged particles (solar wind).
From data collected by satellite and ground observations scientists have found a link between sunspot and solar flare activity. Solar flare activity usually increases as sunspot numbers increase.
The electromagnetic energy output of the Sun varies according to cycles in solar activity and solar surface events. The greatest variations in output occur in shorter wavelength radiation: Ultraviolet and X-Ray.
The variation in energy and particle output during theses cycles has and is currently being studied by NASA and other scientific organizations. NASA’s Sun Earth Connections Project is currently working with other scientific organizations to collect solar data and investigate these cycles in more detail. The following are tools and organizations that provide data related to these cycles on the internet.
- NASA’s Wind Spacecraft
Mt. Wilson Observatory
PIXIE Instrument
Yearly Sunspot Numbers
Solar Flare Events
NOAA Space Weather
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