Predicting Radiation Storms
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Lydia
Site Admin
Posted:
Sun May 27, 2007 1:27 am
Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Posts: 591
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Predicting Radiation Storms
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Data gathered from S.O.H.O. has enabled scientists to predict Solar Radiation Storms for up to an hour in advance with a technique designed by physicist Arik Posner (Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas). His study: "Up to one-Hour Forecasting of Radiation Hazards from Solar Energetic Ion Events" is published in the journal Space Weather.
Although Earth's atmosphere protects us from these solar storms, consisting of "electrons, protons and heavy ions accelerated to high speed by explosions on the sunparticles", astronauts on the Moon, Mars and beyond as well as computer equipment aboard satellites and space craft would be vulnerable.
The key word here is COSTEP (Comprehensive Suprathermal and Energetic Particle Analyzer), which is an instument aboard S.O.H.O. and detects faster moving electrons ahead of other particles.
Although not yet perfected, it already reduces the odds of exposure by a good 20 percent.
Click Here for more information
And here for info on S.O.H.O.
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