Researchers working on a NASA mission to understand the interplay of magnetic fields and charged particles blown outward from the Sun have identified the trigger for the colorful electrical storms in the polar regions. They hope this is a step in developing reliable forecasts of geomagnetic storms that can disrupt satellites in orbit and power grids on the ground.
The findings appeared in an article published Thursday on the Web site of the journal Science. Scientists have long known that the dancing auroras of color known as the northern and southern lights are generated by charged particles flying from the Sun and interacting with the Earth’s magnetic field, which is then pulled into a windsock shape by the solar wind. FULL STORY: http://www.rdmag.com/ShowPR.aspx?PUBCODE=014&ACCT=1400000100&ISSUE=0807&RELTYPE=CS&PRODCODE=0000000&PRODLETT=ZB&CommonCount=0 73, Curt W4CP Curt Phillips, CEM CMVP W4CP ex-KD4YU; WB4LHI ARRL Life; QCWA; SKCC; NASWA; OOTC Tar Heel Scanner/SWL Group Raleigh, NC USA www.w4cp.com w4cp<at>arrl.net -- "It is generally inadvisable to eject directly over the area you just bombed." - U.S . Air Force Manual
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