An Important Step in the Advance of Space Weather Research Although the earth’s Van Allen Radiation Belts were discovered by James Van Allen in 1958, not much was knows about these important radiation protective belts circling the earth. In case you are wondering, James Alfred Van Allen (September 7, 1914 – August 9, 2006), was a space scientists […]
Airline Pilots and Passengers Being Exposed to Radiation
10/25/2013 By Leave a Comment
Airlines prefer polar routes for transoceanic flights. They are shorter and have reduced winds. However, pilots and ordinary air travelers can be exposed to significant doses of radiation during solar storms, when flying those aviation routes. A new computer model developed by NASA is designed to help protect the public by predicting space weather hazards […]
Coronal Holes
06/26/2013 By Leave a Comment
Coronal holes are areas in the sun’s corona that cooler; therefore darker, and from where a large portion of high speed the solar wind comes from. Coronal holes were first discovered when X-ray space telescopes on board the Skylab were first flown above the earth’s atmosphere. Coronal holes are also detected where open or uni-polar […]
Bigger than the Sun and Coming Our Way!
I came across this commentary video put together by David Vose at Youtube, using images from comet ISON perihelion which is very interesting. David points out that comet ISON is bigger than the sun and is coming our way! He calls our attention to some peculiar points about comet ISON that I had not considered […]