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BASICS .. COSMIC RAYS .. SUN .. SPACE WEATHER

Space Weather

"Knowledge is the antidote to fear."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson


Space Weather in the News
Space Weather Activities

Past Geomagnetic Storms

The Sun's activity causes large changes in the Sun's plasma and energetic particle populations, and these changes are responsible for the "space weather" that affects Earth. Space weather can impact the upper atmosphere and may influence long-term climate trends. The affects are related to CMEs, SEPs, and coronal holes, the source of high-speed streams. The largest storms occur when a fast CME hits Earth shortly after its shock arrives.

In January 1997, for the first time, a coronal mass ejection was observed in real-time all the way from the Sun to its dramatic consequences at Earth four days later. The SOHO, Wind, Polar, and Geotail spacecraft were all involved. More about this event...

Animiation of CME impact on Earth's magnetosphere
8.9 MB MPEG file
Courtesy of NASA's IMAGE mission

Aurora australis Magnetic storms produce many noticeable effects on and near the Earth, including the northern and southern lights. This photograph (right) of the Aurora australis (Southern lights) is from Spacelab 3. Photo courtesy of R. Overmyer, NASA.

Geomagnetic storms (magnetic storms on Earth due to solar activity) produce the awe-inspiring Aurora borealis and Aurora australis -- the Northern and Southern lights. However, they can also cause a variety of highly undesirable consequences. Electrical current surges in power lines, interference in the broadcast of radio, television, and telephone signals, and problems with defense communications are all associated with magnetic storms. Odd behavior in air and marine navigation instruments has been observed, and a compass anywhere on Earth is certainly affected. These storms are known to alter the atmospheric ozone layer. Even increased pipeline corrosion has been attributed to them.

Variations over the 11-year solar cycle in the intensity of the Sun's electromagnetic output at some wavelengths significantly affect the chemistry, structure, and dynamics of the Earth's upper atmosphere. Longer-term solar variations may be linked to major shifts in the global climate.

Apollo Astronaut Astronaut Edwin Aldrin walks on the lunar surface near the leg of the Apollo 11 Lunar Module. Courtesy NASA archives.

Major solar activity is a very serious concern in space flight. Communications may be disrupted. Large solar disturbances heat the upper atmosphere, causing it to expand and create increased drag on spacecraft in low orbits, shortening their orbital lifetime. Spacecraft could potentially tumble and burn up in the atmosphere.

Intense SEP events contain very high levels of radiation, more than a million times the normal daily dose of a human on Earth. Radiation sickness can result when humans are outside the protective magnetosphere of the Earth, as in missions to the moon and to Mars. Monitoring of astronaut's exposure to radiation began during Project Mercury and has continued through the current Shuttle Program. The space radiation environment is very different from that found on Earth. More about radiation dangers to astronauts - from NASA JSC...

High-energy solar protons can produce increased radiation in the atmosphere at altitudes where supersonic aircraft fly. This is especially true for flights over the north and south magnetic poles, areas unprotected by the Earth's magnetic field, where the radiation has direct access to the atmosphere. To reduce the risk to aircraft crews and passengers, and reduce risk to the aircraft, routine forecasts and alerts are sent through the Federal Aviation Administration so that a flight in potential danger can consider what course of action to take to minimize radiation exposure. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Environment Center (SEC) forecasts high-speed solar wind and solar particle events. SEC has a Space Weather Advisories page.

The ACE Real Time Solar Wind (RTSW) experiment also produces on-line geomagnetic storm alerts.

To learn a lot more about space weather, check out our question and answer page on space weather in our "Ask Us" feature.


Other great space weather links:




newspaper imageSpace Weather in the News

April 30, 2012: Aurora over Raufarhofn -- APOD
April 27, 2012: Sunny outlook for space weather forecasters -- Nature
April 19, 2012: Rubber chicken flies into solar radiation storm -- Science@NASA
April 15, 2012: Uranus aurora glimpsed from Earth -- Astrobiolgy
April 12, 2012: Yuri's planet -- APOD
April 12, 2012: Teamwork: IBEX and TWINS observe a solar storm -- NASA
April 6, 2012: Mysteries of the sun...explained in video -- NASA
March 31, 2012: Comet shows evidence of space weathering -- Astrobiology
March 28, 2012: Met Office to provide space weather warnings for Planet Earth and forecasts for exoplanets -- Science Daily
March 27, 2012: NASA's TWINS and IBEX spacecraft observe impact of powerful solar storm from inside and outside Earth's magnetosphere -- Southwest Research Institute
March 27, 2012: Watching space weather through the MAGIC of CubeSat CINEMA -- Science Daily
March 26, 2012: Solar storm dumps gigawatts into Earth's Upper Atmosphere -- Astrobiology
March 23, 2012: NASA measures impact of huge solar flare on Earth's atmosphere -- NASA
March 22, 2012: Modeling extreme space weather -- NASA
March 22, 2012: ScienceCasts: The surprising power of a solar storm -- Science@NASA
March 22, 2012: Northern Lights: First-ever measurement of auroral turbulence using a nanosatellite radar receiver -- Science Daily
March 21, 2012: Aurora over Iceland -- APOD
March 14, 2012: Angry sun erupting -- APOD
March 13, 2012: Flying through a geomagnetic storm -- Science Daily
March 12, 2012: Moderate geomagnetic storm at Earth -- NASA
March 9, 2012: Solar wind explodes on Venus -- Astrobiology
March 9, 2012: New study proves the magnetosphere protects Earth -- Astrobiology
March 9, 2012: Geomagnetic storm strength increases -- NASA
March 8, 2012: Storms from the sun -- NASA
March 8, 2012: Earth's magnetic field provides vital protection -- ESA
March 8, 2012: Solar storm goes easy on Earth -- but more are sure to come, NASA says -- NPR
March 5, 2012: Flying over the Earth at night -- APOD
March 5, 2012: Space weather: Explosions on Venus -- Science Daily
March 2, 2012: Flying through a geomagnetic storm -- Science@NASA
March 1, 2012: ScienceCasts: Auroras underfoot -- Science@NASA
February 28, 2012: Mysterious electron acceleration explained -- Science Daily
February 28, 2012: NASA develops space weather app for Android smartphones and tablet users -- NASA
February 27, 2012: Mysterious electron acceleration explained -- MIT
February 25, 2012: Plasmas torn apart -- Caltech
February 21, 2012: UNH scientists launch NASA rocket into aurora -- University of New Hampshire
February 11, 2012: Computer simulations of Earth's turbulent magnetosphere -- Astrobiology
February 9, 2012: Trees, stars, aurora! -- APOD
February 1, 2012: Red aurora over Australia -- APOD
January 31, 2012: Radiation en route to Mars -- Astrobiology
January 30, 2012: NASA's THEMIS satellite sees a great electron escape -- NASA
January 28, 2012: Planet Aurora borealis -- APOD
January 27, 2012: Space Weather Center to add world's first 'ensemble' forecasting capability -- NASA
January 25, 2012: Cold plasma above Earth -- Astrobiology
January 25, 2012: M8.7 solar flare and Earth directed CME -- NASA
January 24, 2012: Elusive matter found to be abundant far above Earth -- AGU
January 24, 2012: January aurora over Norway -- APOD
January 24, 2012: Classifying solar eruptions -- NASA
January 23, 2012: Biggest solar storm since 2005 underway, will peak Tuesday -- Washington Post
January 19, 2012: Long duration M3.2 class solar flare and CME -- NASA
January 3, 2012: A full sky aurora over Norway -- APOD
December 14, 2011: Curiosity and the solar storm -- NASA
December 13, 2011: AI to predict sun's next attack on Earth -- New Scientist
December 5, 2011: A memorable aurora over Norway -- APOD
December 3, 2011: Earth flips magnetic poles all the time -- Astrobiology
November 23, 2011: ScienceCasts: Terrifying auroras -- Science@NASA
November 21, 2011: Around the world in 90 minutes -- APOD
November 16, 2011: Killer solar flares won't destroy Earth in 2012 -- Astrobiology
November 14, 2011: Waterfall, moonbow, and aurora from Iceland -- APOD
November 11, 2011: 2012: Killer solar flares are a physical impossibility, experts say -- Science Daily
October 28, 2011: October skylights -- APOD
October 25, 2011: Beautiful red aurora -- NASA
October 20, 2011: Space weather prediction model improves forecasting -- Science Daily
October 11, 2011: Sun-watchers hope giant telescope will get green light -- Nature
September 30, 2011: Cloudy night of the northern lights -- APOD
September 28, 2011: Sunspot 1302 is big, bad, and coming our way -- Astrobiology
September 27, 2011: Sunspot 1302 continues to turn toward Earth -- NASA
September 23, 2011: September's aurora -- APOD
September 23, 2011: Space storms to pose greater risk to flyers and astronauts -- Science
September 23, 2011: Solar activity can affect re-entry of UARS satellite -- Science Daily
September 12, 2011: Solar activity subsiding - auroras ablaze -- NASA
August 23, 2011: Aurora over Greenland -- APOD
August 18, 2011: Space storm tracked from sun to Earth -- NASA
August 18, 2011: Spacecraft sees solar storm engulf Earth -- Science@NASA
July 27, 2011: ExoPlanet aurora -- Astrobiology
July 21, 2011: Exoplanet aurora: An out-of-this-world sight -- Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
June 22, 2011: Getting ready for the next big solar storm -- NASA
June 20, 2011: As the sun awakens, the power grid stands vulnerable -- Washington Post
June 14, 2011: New insights on how solar minimums affect Earth -- NASA
April 8, 2011: Wisconsin aurora -- National Geographic
April 4, 2011: Staring at the sun -- PBS Newshour
March 28, 2011: Time-lapse auroras over Norway -- APOD
March 25, 2011: Auroral substorm over Yellowknife -- APOD
March 16, 2011: Fortuitous timing for NASA's new space weather app -- NASA
February 21, 2011: Solar storms could create $2tn 'global Katrina', warns chief scientist -- Guardian
February 17, 2011: Catching space weather in the act -- NASA
February 16, 2011: Sun unleashes huge solar flare towards Earth -- BBC
February 1, 2011: Cluster encounters a natural particle accelerator -- ESA
January 31, 2011: Tracking the origins of speeding space particles -- NASA
January 28, 2011: Global eruption rocks the sun -- Science Daily
January 26, 2011: First large-scale, physics-based space weather model transitions into operation -- NSF
January 14, 2011: NRL scientists develop 3D model of the ionosphere F-region -- NRL
January 4, 2011: Auroral rocket in Norway -- NASA
December 17, 2010: SORCE's solar spectral surprise -- NASA
December 15, 2010: NASA spies storm stretching across the sun -- Physics World
November 29, 2010: Collaborative LASP/Goddard sun-climate research center announced -- NASA
November 24, 2010: Flowing auroras over Norway -- APOD
November 17, 2010: The International Space Weather Initiative -- NASA
November 8, 2010: The International Space Weather Initiative -- Science@NASA
November 5, 2010: NASA extends TIMED mission for fourth time -- NASA
October 26, 2010: Solar shield -- Protecting the North American power grid -- Science@NASA
October 21, 2010: Heavy-ion ionic charge states: Tracing the source population for interplanetary shocks -- ACE News
October 20, 2010: New space research settles years of scientific debate -- Eurekalert
October 6, 2010: Aurora over Alaska -- APOD
October 1, 2010: Pulsating aurorae secrets revealed -- National Geographic
September 27, 2010: The dancing auroras of Saturn -- APOD
September 20, 2010: Aurora over Norway -- APOD
September 17, 2010: Northern lights over Prelude Lake -- APOD
August 16, 2010: Evidence of new solar activity from observations of aurora in New Zealand -- Science Daily
August 10, 2010: Pictures: Huges solar storm triggers unusual auroras -- National Geographic
August 6, 2010: The not so quiet sun -- APOD
August 4, 2010: Long-sought connection found between Saturn's aurora and puzzling radio pulses -- AGU
August 3, 2010: Aurora alert: The sun is waking up -- Astronomy
July 27, 2010: Spacequakes rumble near Earth -- Science@NASA
July 16, 2010: Space weather turns into an international problem -- Science@NASA
July 1, 2010: Above aurora australis -- APOD
June 30, 2010: Radiation fears stalk stellar mission -- Physics World
June 22, 2010: Space weather signal buried in x-ray noise -- Science
June 14, 2010: GOES-15 solar x-ray imager's miraculous first light -- NASA
June 11, 2010: Our naughty sun -- Geeked on Goddard blog
June 8, 2010: Man-made aurora to help predict space weather -- Eurekalert
June 8, 2010: NASA's FASTSAT satellite readies for shipment to Alaska -- NASA
June 4, 2010: As the sun awakens, NASA keeps a wary eye on space weather -- Science@NASA
May 27, 2010: Solar scientists agree that the sun's recent behavior is odd, but the explanation remains elusive -- Scientific American
May 25, 2010: Spacecraft reveals small solar events have large scale effects -- NASA
April 21, 2010: NASA's new eye on the Sun delivers stunning first images -- NASA
April 14, 2010: Scientists track solar explosion all the way from the Sun to Earth -- Astronomy
April 14, 2010: Mini magnetic shield found on the Moon -- National Geographic
April 14, 2010: Sun's threat to power grids -- Scientific American
April 12, 2010: Cluster spacecraft take first look at acceleration processes driving aurorae -- Astronomy
March 11, 2010: Yukon aurora with star trails -- APOD
March 11, 2010: Shocking recipe for making killer electrons -- ESA
March 10, 2010: The battle between the Earth and Sun -- Astrobiology
March 9, 2010: Earth's magnetic field older than we thought -- Physics World
March 8, 2010: The folklore surrounding the aurora -- 365 Days of Astronomy
February 26, 2010: Solar storms could be Earth's next Katrina -- NPR
February 23, 2010: Public invited to spot and track solar storms -- Astronomy
February 23, 2010: NASA unveils new space-weather science tool -- NASA
February 11, 2010: NASA successfully launches a new eye on the Sun -- NASA
February 11, 2010: A new view of our volatile star -- Physics World
February 11, 2010: Saturn's aurorae offer stunning double show -- Eurekalert
February 9, 2010: SDO to spike vital space weather data -- NASA
February 8, 2010: Q and A with SDO Program Executive Dana Brewer -- NASA
February 5, 2010: Solar Dynamics Observatory: The 'variable Sun' mission -- Science@NASA
February 4, 2010: $32 million CU-Boulder instrument package to study space weather set for NASA launch Feb. 9 -- Eurekalert
February 1, 2010: Storms in space disrupt travel on Earth -- NPR
January 26, 2010: A flare for forecasting: Sun seismology points to better solar weather predictions -- Scientific American
January 26, 2010: Technology-testing Proba-2 opens new eye on the Sun -- ESA
December 19, 2009: Aurora shimmer, meteor flash -- APOD
December 17, 2009: Colliding auroras produce an explosion of light -- NASA
November 24, 2009: Cassini captures ghostly dance of Saturn's northern lights -- NASA
November 3, 2009: NRL sensor provides critical space weather observations -- Eurekalert
October 26, 2009: Fastsat instruments shipped to NASA Marshall for test and launch preparation -- NASA
October 4, 2009: Streams of the Sun -- Astrobiology Magazine
September 22, 2009: Aurora over Yellowknife -- APOD
September 21, 2009: New transient radiation belt discovered around Saturn -- Science Daily
September 17, 2009: Quiet Sun bombards Earth with winds -- AGU
September 17, 2009: Ganymede's magnetosphere makes a big impression on Jupiter's auroral lightshows -- Astronomy.com
September 17, 2009: Jupiter auroras fed by largest moon's magnetic "bubble" -- National Geographic
September 16, 2009: Too much radation for astronauts to make it to Mars -- New Scientist
September 14, 2009: New transient radation belt discovered at Saturn -- Astronomy.com
September 11, 2009: Surprise in Earth's upper atmosphere: Mode of energy transfer from the solar wind -- Science Daily
September 2, 2009: 150 years ago: The worst solar storm ever -- Space.com
August 31, 2009: Honey, I blew up the tokamak -- Science@NASA
July 28, 2009: A floral aurora corona -- APOD
July 22, 2009: Lopsided lights -- Science News
July 21, 2009: NASA's Magnetospheric MultiScale Mission takes a step closer to solving the mystery behind magnetic reconnection -- NASA
July 20, 2009: Scientists look beyond Earth to understand auroras -- Science Daily
July 10, 2009: NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory arrives at Kennedy Space Center -- NASA
July 8, 2009: APL part of international team expanding space weather radar network -- JHU APL
June 3, 2009: New research contributes to defense of Earth's technologies -- Eurekalert
June 3, 2009: Fake astronaut gets hit by artificial solar flare -- Science@NASA
May 29, 2009: Waves in Earth's radiation belt get mapped -- Science Daily
May 27, 2009: Magnetic tremors pinpoint the impact epicenter of earthbound space storms -- NASA
May 27, 2009: Giant balloon to launch Sun-watching telescope -- Space.com
May 26, 2009: Giant atmospheric crashes detected via auroras -- National Geographic
May 8, 2009: SABER offers a new way to study Earth's ionosphere and the effect of geomagnetic storms -- NASA
May 7, 2009: "Singing" electrons protect and threaten your TV and GPS -- NASA
April 30, 2009: Magnetic twisters "dance" across Mercury, study says -- National Geographic
April 30, 2009: Active Mercury -- Science@NASA
April 29, 2009: Watching solar activity muddle Earth's magnetic field -- ESA
April 24, 2009: Giant "space tornadoes" spark auroras on Earth -- National Geographic
April 9, 2009: Autonomous Antarctic observatories gather space weather data -- NSF
March 27, 2009: Cluster satellites investigate space turbulence -- Astronomy.com
March 23, 2009: Space storm alert: 90 seconds from catastrophe -- New Scientist
March 13, 2009: The day the Sun brought darkness -- NASA
March 10, 2009: Join NASA in celebrating Sun-Earth Day 2009 -- NASA
February 11, 2009: ESA extends missions studying Mars, Venus and Earth's magnetosphere [last article] -- ESA
February 5, 2009: Auroras: What powers the greatest light show on Earth? -- New Scientist
February 1, 2009: Auroral corona over Norway -- APOD
January 30, 2009: Solar physics spacecraft launched by Russia -- Spaceflight Now
January 21, 2009: Severe space weather -- Science@NASA
January 19, 2009: Hiding from Jupiter's radiation -- Astrobiology
January 8, 2009: NASA to study the radiation belts -- JHU APL
January 7, 2009: Danger ahead as the Sun goes quiet -- New Scientist
January 5, 2009: New study reveals hazards of severe space weather -- NASA
December 25, 2008: Solar mission launch starts busy year for Russia's space agency -- RIA Novosti
December 16, 2008: Sun often "tears out a wall" in Earth's solar storm shield -- NASA THEMIS
December 8, 2008: Automated real-time shock analysis for space weather alerts -- ACE News
November 21, 2008: Mars Express observes aurora on the red planet -- Science Daily
November 19, 2008: Unusual auroras over Saturn's north pole -- APOD
November 12, 2008: Cassini finds mysterious new aurora on Saturn -- NASA
November 12, 2008: Rocket launching to investigate the northern lights -- Science Daily
November 4, 2008: "Star Trek" shield may protect astronauts -- National Geographic
November 4, 2008: May the force (field) be with you -- Scientific American
October 30, 2008: Hot solar wind in cold outer space -- The Weather Channel
October 27, 2008: Halloween storms of 2003 still the scariest -- NASA
September 5, 2008: NASA to explore "secret layer" of the Sun -- Science@NASA
August 19, 2008: Living with a star -- Science@NASA
July 29, 2008: Timeline: The 1859 solar superstorm -- Scientific American
July 28, 2008: Bracing the satellite infrastructure for a solar superstorm -- Scientific American
July 25, 2008: The secrets of the northern lights -- Astronomy.com
July 24, 2008: Aurora "power surges" triggered by magnetic explosions -- National Geographic
July 24, 2008: NASA satellites discover what powers northern lights -- NASA HQ
July 21, 2008: APL-led team wins NSF grant to develop new observatory for Earth's space environment -- JHU APL
July 1, 2008: Solar Shield experiment aims to keep the power on -- NASA GSFC
June 30, 2008: Satellites pinpoint Earth's auroral radio chatter -- Scientific American
June 18, 2008: GPS inaccurate during space storms -- Space.com
June 18, 2008: The mystery of Satern's double aurorae -- Sky & Telescope
June 9, 2008: Radio waves from Earth clear out space radiation belt -- New Scientist
June 5, 2008: Communications glitch delays Mars lander digging -- Physorg
June 5, 2008: Military transmitter points to flare cure -- Australian Broadcasting Company
May 29, 2008: NASA scientists' model reveals how plasma from superstorms affect near-Earth space -- NASA GSFC
May 6, 2008: A super solar flare -- Science@NASA
April 30, 2008: 4D ionosphere -- Science@NASA
April 29, 2008: Is there a hidden order to the northern lights? -- New Scientist
April 28, 2008: "Broken heart' image the last for NASA's long-lived Polar mission -- NASA GSFC
April 24, 2008: Northern lights glimmer with unexpected trait -- AGU
April 18, 2008: Design begins on twin probes that will study the radiation belts -- JHU/APL
April 15, 2008: Sky delights over Sweden -- APOD
April 14, 2008: Mission to Mars -- GSI
April 5, 2008: Magnetic substorms from ground and space -- Science Daily
April 2, 2008: Hinode: Source of the slow solar wind and superhot flares -- ESA
March 20, 2008: Spring is aurora season -- Science@NASA
March 6, 2008: Auroras in broad daylight -- Science@NASA
March 5, 2008: Spring is aurora season -- Astronomy.com
March 5, 2008: Scientists identify origin of hiss in upper atmosphere -- Eurekalert
March 3, 2008: NASA's SDO mission to improve predictions of violent space weather -- NASA GSFC
February 25, 2008: Killer electrons surf celestial tsunamis -- NASA GSFC
February 13, 2008: SOHO data used for real-time space radiation forecasting -- ESA
February 1, 2008: The first Explorer -- APOD
January 31, 2008: New discovery on magnetic reconnection to impact future space missions -- Science Daily
January 29, 2008: Space weather science rues cuts -- BBC
January 7, 2008: 'Maverick' sunspot heralds new solar cycle -- New Scientist
January 2, 2008: Third instrument for NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory arrives at Goddard -- NASA GSFC
January 1, 2008: Rays from an unexpected aurora -- APOD
December 13, 2007: Earth's magnetosphere: On the ropes -- Sky & Telescope
December 11, 2007: NASA spacecraft make new discoveries about Northern Lights -- Eurekalert
December 11, 2007: Brain stem cells sensitive to space radiation -- Eurekalert
November 29, 2007: Barren land: Why Venus is lifeless -- Economist
November 28, 2007: UNH scientists report first findings on key astrophysics problem -- Eurekalert
November 19, 2007: Aurora in the distance -- APOD
November 13, 2007: Strange space weather over Africa -- Science@NASA
September 30, 2007: Tiny animals exposed to outer space -- Science Daily
September 12, 2007: Cluster and Double Star uncover more on bright aurorae -- Science Daily
August 31, 2007: Scientists find elusive waves in Sun's corona -- Science Daily
August 27, 2007: Flares from Sun's far side may affect space weather of inner planets -- Science Daily
July 27, 2007: Killer electrons in space are now less mysterious -- Science Daily
May 30, 2007: Radio 'screams' from the Sun warn of radiation storms -- EurekAlert!
May 29, 2007: Screaming CMEs warn of radiation storms -- NASA GSFC
May 25, 2007: Spacecraft aids in forecast of solar radiation storms -- NASA HQ
May 25, 2007: The ions are coming! -- Science@NASA
April 13, 2007: Cluster sees tsunamis in space -- SpaceDaily
April 9, 2007: Aurora over Alaska -- NASA GSFC APOD
April 4, 2007: Researchers find Global Positioning System is significantly impacted by powerful solar radio burst -- NOAA News
March 30, 2007: Sun burp blasted ozone layer in 1859 -- Australian Broadcasting Company
March 22, 2007: Hinode studies the Sun -- Astronomy.com
March 21, 2007: Solar activity won't break drought -- Australian Broadcasting Company
March 21, 2007: Clemson rocket launches test Alaskan auroras -- SpaceDaily
March 15, 2007: UD physicist wins NSF Career Award for space weather research -- EurekAlert!
March 14, 2007: THEMIS weighs in on the Northern Lights -- EurekAlert!
March 2, 2007: Space weather in STEREO -- Astronomy.com
February 20, 2007: THEMIS satellites put Berkeley physicist in pole position to study aurora like never before -- SpaceDaily
February 19, 2007: International Heliophysical Year begins -- European Space Agency
February 16, 2007: NASA THEMIS mission adds five spacecraft to the Sun-Earth flotilla -- European Space Agency
February 9, 2007: Cluster - new insights into the electric circuits of polar lights -- European Space Agency
February 7, 2007: NASA-European spacecraft swoops under Sun's pole -- NASA JPL
February 2, 2007: Sophisticated ESA space weather tool under development -- European Space Agency
January 30, 2007: Northern lights research enters final frontier -- SpaceDaily
January 30, 2007: University of Alberta space research to solve aurora mystery -- SpaceDaily
January 17, 2007: THEMIS will judge what causes highly dynamic aurora -- NASA GSFC
January 5, 2007: US researchers study space weather -- SpaceDaily
January 4, 2007: 1000th orbit for the Cluster mission -- SpaceDaily




Space Weather Activities

Grades 5 - 8 (or 9 - 12 as an introductory activity): Space Weather and YOU! Introduction 1 -- NASA GSFC
Grades 7 - 9: Auroras and Magnetic Storms -- NASA IMAGE
Grades 7 - 9: Cosmic Radiation Creates Unfriendly Skies -- NASA IMAGE
Grades 7 - 9: Magnetic Storms From the Ground -- NASA IMAGE
Grades 7 - 9: Planning a Trip to Mars -- NASA IMAGE
Grades 7 - 9: Satellite Glitches and Cosmic Rays _- NASA IMAGE
Grades 7 - 9: Solar Storms and Satellites -- NASA IMAGE
Grades 9 - 12: Space Weather -- NASA GSFC
Grades 9 - 12: Space Weather and YOU! Introduction 2 -- NASA GSFC
Grades 9 - 12: Space Weather and YOU! -- NASA GSFC





Past Geomagnetic Storms

Images of systems affected by space weather




TRACE sun mosaic Supernova 1006 (ASCA) 30
Doradus ACE
spacecraft TRACE solar flare IMAGE magnetosphere
Click on images above to learn more about them


A service of the Heliophysics Science Division at NASA's GSFC

Questions and comments to: cosmicopia@cosmicra.gsfc.nasa.gov
Curator: Dr Eric R. Christian, NASA
Responsible NASA Official: Dr Eric R. Christian

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Last modified: May 10, 2012