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Planet Earth, a Great Magnet

[LINK] Earth itself is a gigantic magnet. The solar wind confines
Earth's magnetic field to a comet-shaped cavity known as the
magnetosphere. As the solar wind flows past the magnetosphere, it acts
like a cosmic generator, producing millions of amps of electric
current. Some of this electric current flows into Earth's upper
atmosphere which can light up like a neon tube to create the
mysterious and beautiful aurora. (Illustration courtesy of the High
Altitude Observatory/NCAR)
[LINK] 

The First Major Discovery of the Space Age

The Van Allen Radiation Belts were the first scientific discovery of
the Space Age. In 1958, Geiger counters aboard the U.S. satellites
Explorers 1 and 3 detected energetic charged particles trapped in the
magnetosphere fairly close to Earth called the Van Allen Radiation
Belts -- two doughnut shaped belts that surround Earth. (Photograph of
William Pickering, James Van Allen, and Werner von Braun display the
first U.S. satellite, Explorer 1 courtesy of U. of Iowa)

Auroras: Billboards for Electric Space

[LINK] People living in the arctic or antarctic regions can witness
the aurora -- beautiful shimmering curtains of light appearing in the
night sky. Auroras are like giant advertisements for the existence of
Electric Space -- the world's largest neon-like billboards. (Photo
courtesy of David Fritts © 1995)

[LINK] The aurora takes its name from the Roman goddess of dawn, but
its cause has nothing to do with the Sun's light. Earth's magnetotail
deflects solar wind toward Earth's polar regions. An aurora is
produced when the energetic charged particles comprising the solar
wind collide with neutral gas molecules in the upper atmosphere. The
electrical discharge occurs about 70 miles above Earth's surface.
[LINK] 

Seeing Auroras from Space

Auroras can also be photographed by Space Shuttle astronauts and by
artificial satellites. The photograph on the left was taken by NASA's
Discovery astronauts in 1991. (Photo courtesy of NASA.) Satellites
that orbit thousands of miles above Earth's surface can provide a
global view of the aurora. [LINK] The photograph at right shows that
the light of the aurora forms an oval shape high above and surrounding
Earth's magnetic poles. (Photo courtesy of Louis A. Frank/ U. of Iowa)
[LINK] 

Upper Atmosphere Weather: Electrified Winds

The uppermost part of Earth's atmosphere, the ionosphere, consists of
a medium able to conduct electricity. The ionosphere is created when
ultraviolet rays from the Sun and high-energy particles from the
magnetosphere collide with and ionize some of the atoms in Earth's
upper atmosphere.

The ionosphere provides a path for electric current generated in the
magnetosphere. This artist's conception of Earth's ionosphere shows
the activity going on in this dynamic region. (Illustration courtesy
of the Space Physics Division/NASA)

Electrical Damage

The charged particles in the solar wind, magnetosphere, and ionosphere
carry large scale electric currents. When these currents change near
Earth, destruction of electrical equipment on the ground can result.

[LINK] In March, 1989, a magnetic storm caused a blackout of the
Hydro-Quebec power system in Canada, plunging virtually all of Quebec
province into darkness. This satellite image of the March 1989
magnetic storm shows both the northern and southern auroral ovals in
ultraviolet wavelengths. (Photo courtesy of Louis A. Frank/U. of Iowa)
Next to:    The Cosmic Connection

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