Solar Storms?
Question:
Answer:
Usually caused by an eruption called a "flare" on the sun's surface (flare in turned caused by magnetic disturbances in the vicinity of sunspots).
The storm contains two components:
1. Electromagnetic radiation - which, if the flare is on the side of the sun facing the Earth, reaches us in about 8 minutes. The ozone layer scatters most of that.
2. Particle radiation - protons, electrons, and "exotic" charged particles which reach the Earth in a few days. These interact with the Earth's magnetic field, releasing photons (light) when they collide with it. Most of their energy is dissipated this way; but if enough high-energy particles arrive after an intense flare, they can penetrate deeper into the atmosphere, where their own electrostatic and magnetic fields can interfere with the operation of electronic devices on Earth.
BTW the Northern Lights are caused by the particle radiation interacting with the Earth's magnetic field. The field is more intense up North, so the interactions are also more intense - putting on a light show that can be seen with the naked eye. This show consists of all those photons released by the particles when they collide with the magnetic field.
A solar storm is a temporary dramatic increase in the radiation from the sun...be it any form of radiation, but mainly radioactive particles that mess with electronics and humans...every 11 years a large increase in storm activity 1988 and 2000 were the last two periods.
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