Space Weather:

Understanding the Sun-Earth

Connection
Dr. J. Douglas Patterson
Professor of Astronomy, Johnson County
Community College
Researcher, Fundamental Technologies
 So what is this Space Weather
stuff anyway?
• “Space weather refers to the variable
conditions on the Sun and in the
space environment that can influence
the performance and reliability of
spaceborne and groundbased
technological systems, as well as
endanger life or health.”
– American Meteorological Society.
First Realizations of a Sun-Earth
Connection
• Carrington’s “Super
Flare” of 1859
– Observed at noon on
Sept 1st
– Arrived a mere 17 hours
later!
– Aurora bright enough to
read by.
– Telegraph lines
energized by
geomagentic storm.
Birkeland & His Aurora Machine
 Discovering The Solar Wind
• Chapman proposed
that the solar corona
must be flowing
outward.
• Bierman claimed an
advective solar corona
could be responsible
for the behaviour of
comet tails.
 Parker’s Super-Sonic Model
• Eugene Parker
proposed only a
transonic solution
made sense.
• Mariner 2 mission to
Venus confirmed his
predictions.
Flares and CMEs
Earth-directed CME
Solar Storm Animation
This means what to me?
Learning the Hard Way!
 The Advanced Composition
Explorer (ACE)
• Positioned in a halo orbit at L1
• Gives us ~1hr advanced notice of
incoming energetic particles
• Suite of particle detectors and plasma
experiements
• Provides real-time space weather data
– Particle flux
– B-field vector
– plasma temp, speed, and density
Real-time Space Weather Data
SpaceWeather.com
The Van Allen Belts
• Discovered by
Explorer 1
• Inner belt mainly
high-E protons
• Outer belt intensities
highly variable
• Intensities affected
by solar storms, but
not always an
enhancement.
The Radiation Belt Storm Probes
renamed the Van Allen Probes
 The Van Allen Probes
• First mission to the Van
Allen Belts in 50 years!
• Already returning new
findings.
• Transitory third belt.
• Exploring interactions
between radiation belts,
solar storms, and the
ring current.
Van Allen Belts are part of a
larger dynamic structure
 Why study this region?
• GPS and Geostationary satellites orbit
within the outer radiation belt.

• LEO is getting crowded!

• Humans will need to pass through the

radiation belts on their way to the
Moon and Mars.
Already discovering new things

Data courtesy of Dan Baker, PI for RBSPECT-REPT experiment

 Staying Up-To-Date
• SpaceWeather.com
• Space Weather Apps for Android & iOS
• VanAllenProbes.jhuapl.edu
• SpaceWeather.NOAA.gov
• Fundamental Technologies
– www.ftecs.com
– rbspice.ftecs.com