Magnetic Froth and Climate
Timothy Birdnow
One of the regular themes of this website is Global Warming, and how the computer models are hopelessly flawed because we are only beginning to understand the variables involved in climate. I am particularly interested in space phonomena, as none are even remotely included in the thirty some-odd models used to predict catastrophic global warming.
Here's another http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/09jun_bigsurprise/
From the article from Nasa.gov:
"It's bubbly out there.
"The Voyager probes appear to have entered a strange realm of frothy magnetic bubbles," says astronomer Merav Opher of Boston University. "This is very surprising."
According to computer models, the bubbles are large, about 100 million miles wide, so it would take the speedy probes weeks to cross just one of them. Voyager 1 entered the "foam-zone" around 2007, and Voyager 2 followed about a year later. At first researchers didn't understand what the Voyagers were sensing--but now they have a good idea.
"The sun's magnetic field extends all the way to the edge of the solar system," explains Opher. "Because the sun spins, its magnetic field becomes twisted and wrinkled, a bit like a ballerina's skirt. Far, far away from the sun, where the Voyagers are now, the folds of the skirt bunch up."
Magnetic bubbles at the edge of the solar system are about 100 million miles wide--similar to the distance between Earth and the sun. [more] When a magnetic field gets severely folded like this, interesting things can happen. Lines of magnetic force criss-cross and "reconnect". (Magnetic reconnection is the same energetic process underlying solar flares.) The crowded folds of the skirt reorganize themselves, sometimes explosively, into foamy magnetic bubbles.
"We never expected to find such a foam at the edge of the solar system, but there it is!" says Opher's colleague, University of Maryland physicist Jim Drake."
End excerpt.
Frothy magnetic fields? What does this mean?
Again, from the article:
"The structure of the sun's distant magnetic field—foam vs. no-foam—is of acute scientific importance because it defines how we interact with the rest of the galaxy. Researchers call the region where the Voyagers are now "the heliosheath." It is essentially the border crossing between the Solar System and the rest of the Milky Way. Lots of things try to get across—interstellar clouds, knots of galactic magnetism, cosmic rays and so on. Will these intruders encounter a riot of bubbly magnetism (the new view) or graceful lines of magnetic force leading back to the sun (the old view)?
The case of cosmic rays is illustrative. Galactic cosmic rays are subatomic particles accelerated to near-light speed by distant black holes and supernova explosions. When these microscopic cannonballs try to enter the solar system, they have to fight through the sun's magnetic field to reach the inner planets.
"The magnetic bubbles could be our first line of defense against cosmic rays," points out Opher. "We haven't figured out yet if this is a good thing or not."'
End excerpt.
Ho, ho! These bubbles could be our first line of defense against cosmic rays!
During periods of an active sun the solar wind sweeps away cosmic rays, while letting them in during quiet periods. The heliosphere, that oval-shaped magnetic sheathing that protects the solar system (indeed defines it) from harmful interstellar debris, has been shrinking since the end of the solar maximum back in the 1990's. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/3222476/Suns-protective-bubble-is-shrinking.html
How do these bubble differ from the bubbles twenty years, thirty years, fifty years ago? Are there more of them, or less?
It's important; Heinrich Svensmark's theory that cosmic rays drive cloud formation and thus influence temperature is predicated on an increase in cosmic rays striking the planet; a heavy cosmic ray shower means more clouds, which means a cooler planet. An active sun means less cosmic rays.
These bubbles are just one more piece in a hugely complex puzzle called the Universe, and are one more factor that we do not understand. How do they influence the influx of those rays? Do they change in size, or strength?
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy"
Hamlet Act I, Scene V
One of the regular themes of this website is Global Warming, and how the computer models are hopelessly flawed because we are only beginning to understand the variables involved in climate. I am particularly interested in space phonomena, as none are even remotely included in the thirty some-odd models used to predict catastrophic global warming.
Here's another http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/09jun_bigsurprise/
From the article from Nasa.gov:
"It's bubbly out there.
"The Voyager probes appear to have entered a strange realm of frothy magnetic bubbles," says astronomer Merav Opher of Boston University. "This is very surprising."
According to computer models, the bubbles are large, about 100 million miles wide, so it would take the speedy probes weeks to cross just one of them. Voyager 1 entered the "foam-zone" around 2007, and Voyager 2 followed about a year later. At first researchers didn't understand what the Voyagers were sensing--but now they have a good idea.
"The sun's magnetic field extends all the way to the edge of the solar system," explains Opher. "Because the sun spins, its magnetic field becomes twisted and wrinkled, a bit like a ballerina's skirt. Far, far away from the sun, where the Voyagers are now, the folds of the skirt bunch up."
Magnetic bubbles at the edge of the solar system are about 100 million miles wide--similar to the distance between Earth and the sun. [more] When a magnetic field gets severely folded like this, interesting things can happen. Lines of magnetic force criss-cross and "reconnect". (Magnetic reconnection is the same energetic process underlying solar flares.) The crowded folds of the skirt reorganize themselves, sometimes explosively, into foamy magnetic bubbles.
"We never expected to find such a foam at the edge of the solar system, but there it is!" says Opher's colleague, University of Maryland physicist Jim Drake."
End excerpt.
Frothy magnetic fields? What does this mean?
Again, from the article:
"The structure of the sun's distant magnetic field—foam vs. no-foam—is of acute scientific importance because it defines how we interact with the rest of the galaxy. Researchers call the region where the Voyagers are now "the heliosheath." It is essentially the border crossing between the Solar System and the rest of the Milky Way. Lots of things try to get across—interstellar clouds, knots of galactic magnetism, cosmic rays and so on. Will these intruders encounter a riot of bubbly magnetism (the new view) or graceful lines of magnetic force leading back to the sun (the old view)?
The case of cosmic rays is illustrative. Galactic cosmic rays are subatomic particles accelerated to near-light speed by distant black holes and supernova explosions. When these microscopic cannonballs try to enter the solar system, they have to fight through the sun's magnetic field to reach the inner planets.
"The magnetic bubbles could be our first line of defense against cosmic rays," points out Opher. "We haven't figured out yet if this is a good thing or not."'
End excerpt.
Ho, ho! These bubbles could be our first line of defense against cosmic rays!
During periods of an active sun the solar wind sweeps away cosmic rays, while letting them in during quiet periods. The heliosphere, that oval-shaped magnetic sheathing that protects the solar system (indeed defines it) from harmful interstellar debris, has been shrinking since the end of the solar maximum back in the 1990's. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/3222476/Suns-protective-bubble-is-shrinking.html
How do these bubble differ from the bubbles twenty years, thirty years, fifty years ago? Are there more of them, or less?
It's important; Heinrich Svensmark's theory that cosmic rays drive cloud formation and thus influence temperature is predicated on an increase in cosmic rays striking the planet; a heavy cosmic ray shower means more clouds, which means a cooler planet. An active sun means less cosmic rays.
These bubbles are just one more piece in a hugely complex puzzle called the Universe, and are one more factor that we do not understand. How do they influence the influx of those rays? Do they change in size, or strength?
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy"
Hamlet Act I, Scene V
posted by Timothy Birdnow | 6:01 AM
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