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Magnetosphere Watch Thread - Pictures - Latest Information -

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Topic started on 11-5-2009 @ 06:58 AM by questioningall

+6 more

This is a new Magnetosphere Thread - with the latest pictures and discussion of what is happening with it. It is a non-hyper thread - compared to the one where our magnetsphere had collapsed a couple of months ago. I am inserting those pictures - to show what had occured. I continue watching the magnetosphere - it is now staying a little mangled up, even when we are being hit by a solar storm - the last couple of weeks the lines have not completely flared out at times - as they have in the past.

Something does seem to be happening with the magentic field, besides scientist also admitting our magnetosphere has been decreasing over the last few years.

I personally think the magnetosphere is worth watching and deserves it's own thread for those who are interested to post the latest information and anything they uncover about it.

Here is a link to the real time magnetosphere picture along with the graphs of the Earth's pressure from from solar storms hitting, plasma temperature.

link: www2.nict.go.jp...

Here is the latest picture:

Here are pictures from the other thread - started as a collapse had happened - *these are not the latest - but from 2 months ago - from other thread *: www.abovetopsecret.com...

There was a lot of good information inserted in the other thread, so I have linked it - but I believe as mentioned previously - having a basic discussion thread-for those of us interested - is why this new thread has been started.

Spelling edit in title (by author request)

[edit on 12/5/09 by masqua]

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reply posted on 11-5-2009 @ 07:05 AM by questioningall

A simulation of an extreme solar storm hitting the Earth: from link: www.esa.int...

[edit on 11-5-2009 by questioningall]

reply posted on 11-5-2009 @ 07:22 AM by tempest501

S & F for you. Fascinating Thread.

reply posted on 11-5-2009 @ 09:24 AM by SemperParatusRJCC

Once again another S&F. I looked at the charts and its simply amazing. ^^ Your posts keep grabbing my attention. Good Job, and thank you

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reply posted on 11-5-2009 @ 09:42 AM by RubberBaron

Have you heard Michio Kaku on 2012?

He's talking about the magnetic shield having a hole, and that there could be a solar tsunami.

YouTube Link

It's not certain, but the fact a physicist of Kaku's calibre is taking this seriously is very interesting.

reply posted on 11-5-2009 @ 10:07 AM by czacza1

reply to post by questioningall

star and flag once again.
great thread. and the simulation is really working on imagination.

reply posted on 11-5-2009 @ 10:30 AM by questioningall

The shrinking of the magnetosphere
link: www.springerlink.com...

Abstract During the interval 06:14–07:30 UT on August 24, 2005, since the Earth’s magnetopause was suddenly compressed by the persistent high-speed solar wind stream with the southward component of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), the magnetopause moved inward for about 3.1 RE. Meanwhile, TC-1 satellite shifted from northern plasma sheet to the northern lobe/mantle region, although it kept inward flying during the interval 06:00–07:30UT. The shift of TC-1 from the plasma sheet to the lobe/mantle is caused by the simultaneous inward displacements of the plasma sheet and near-Earth lobe/mantle region, and their inward movement velocity is larger than the inward motion velocity of TC-1. The joint inward displacements of the magnetopause, the lobe/mantle region and the plasma sheet indicate that the whole magnetosphere shrinks inward due to the magnetospheric compression by the high-speed solar wind stream, and the magnetospheric ions are attached to the magnetic field lines (i.e. ‘frozen’ in magnetic field) and move inward in the shrinking process of magnetosphere. The large shrinkage of magnetosphere indicates that the near-Earth magnetotail compression caused by the strong solar wind dynamic pressure is much larger than its thickening caused by the southward component of the IMF, and the locations of magnetospheric regions with different plasmas vary remarkably with the variation of the solar wind dynamic pressure.

A scientific paper about the magnetosphere:
www.phy6.org...

The region inside the magnetopause may be divided into several broad regions:

Inner Magnetosphere
The inner magnetosphere extends from the "nose" to a distance of about 8 RE (Earth radii) on the night side, but does not include the region above the poles.
This is a relatively stable region, populated by the inner and the outer radiation belt. A typical density of energetic ions is 1 per cubic cm., and the ions are matched by electrons, generally of lower energy. Typical ion energy in the outer radiation belt is 50 keV, and the electric current associated with this plasma is the ring current, circling the Earth.

The trapped ions are gradually lost by collisions with local neutral gas or by being scattered into orbits that dip into the atmosphere. These losses are however compensated by the occasional injection of fresh plasma from the night side, in magnetic storms and substorms.

The Plasma Sheet
The plasma sheet is a thick layer of hot plasma centered on the tail's equator, with a typical thickness 3-7 RE, density 0.3-0.5 ions/cubic cm. and typical ion energy of 2-5 keV.
Unlike the inner magnetosphere, this region is rather dynamic: thickness, density and energy vary greatly, and the plasma often flows rapidly in various directions, particularly earthward. In "substorms" some parts of the plasma sheet may get "squeezed out" earthwards and tailwards: earthward-flowing ions gain energy and penetrate the inner magnetosphere, while the outward moving sections ("plasmoids") stream away from Earth and are lost.

The plasma sheet, too, has its associated electric current, flowing across the tail's equator from flank to flank, from east to west ("dawn to dusk"). It then closes along the magnetopause, and the magnetic field created by this circuit helps stretch out the tail lobes (below).

The Tail Lobes
The tail lobes are two regions of relatively smooth magnetic field, north and south of the plasma sheet. Field lines of the lobes are smooth, and maintain roughly the same direction until they converge above the poles. They point towards Earth north of the equator and away from Earth south of it.
This region is almost empty of plasma--typical density 0.01 ion/cubic cm., the "best vacuum" in the Earth's vicinity--but it contains a relatively strong magnetic field which, since it fills a large volume, can store appreciable magnetic energy, Many believe that this is the storehouse from which substorms draw their energy, releasing it quite rapidly. Further down the tail the plasma density increases, as ions from the boundary layers infiltrate the lobes.

Other Regions and Particles
Boundary layers are observed at times just inside the magnetopause, their thickness is generally less than 1 RE. They mark a transition between regions, and their plasma density is intermediate between that of the magnetosphere and the solar wind (e.g. 2-3 ions/cubic cm). Their ions seem to come from both of these sources, and their field lines sometimes seem to be connected to the IMF.
All the above plasma particles are fairly energetic. There exists in addition low energy plasma from the ionosphere, rotating with the Earth, and extending to about 4-6 RE with a density that gradually diminishes from up to 1,000,000 per cubic cm at an altitude of 200 km to about 10 at the outer limits.

Finally, a large cloud of neutral hydrogen surrounds the Earth, the "geocorona" (click here for its picture). Since particles in space collide so rarely, these different populations can co-exist with relatively little interference.

All these regions have been visited by satellites, and a fair amount is known about their average properties. However, their detailed structure and the way they vary with time are only poorly known, because their features (like weather) keep changing, and only a few isolated satellites are usually available to track such changes. Imagine studying the weather with only a few isolated observatories! A great deal of ingenuity has been applied in the past to exploring the Earth's magnetosphere, but the greatest need is now for many more simultaneous and coordinated observations in the various regions of earthspace.

Above is just a small sample of the information you can find at the site link provided above.

reply posted on 11-5-2009 @ 11:21 AM by Iamonlyhuman

It's just occured to me that this may be the reason they're doing this Hubble repair even with the threat to the astronauts' lives. The video RubberBaron posted above says that the scientists made a mistake in the calculations of solar burst cycle and that now they are predicting that the 11 year turn over solar cycle (which ends in 2012) is going to be way more severe than they had thought.

Perhaps with the new information, NASA deems it an imminent threat to the Hubble and that's why they're willing to take the risk now.

Interesting.

reply posted on 11-5-2009 @ 08:42 PM by lunchmanstan

I dont know really anthing about this subject but maybe the more informed could compare the recent crop circles to the chamge in the magnetosphere. is there any correlation?

www.earthfiles.com...

Does the crop circle predict changes in the magnetosphere?

reply posted on 11-5-2009 @ 09:02 PM by lunchmanstan

another note/notice to post could the electrical componant of the magnetosphere be tapped say Tesla style? Sounds like a lot of current flying around. also looked around a little about solar flares annd the 1918 pandemic, I thought maybe low solar activity was a precusor for pandemic. Buy from what I gathered 1918 was fairly active. assuming that solar activity affects the magnetosphere.

[edit on 11-5-2009 by lunchmanstan]

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reply posted on 11-5-2009 @ 09:08 PM by DancedWithWolves

Have you seen this story yet?

"Supergiant" Asteroid Shut Down Mars Magnetic Field

A "supergiant" asteroid several times larger than the one that likely killed the dinosaurs struck Mars with such force that it shut down the planet's magnetic field, scientists say.

Based on the number of large craters present, scientists think very early Mars suffered 15 or so giant impacts within a span of about a hundred million years.

Now a new computer model suggests Mars's magnetic field may have been slowly weakened by four especially large impacts and then snuffed out completely by a fifth and final blow.

That impact created the 2,000-mile-wide (3,300-kilometer-wide) Utopia crater, which dates back roughly 4.1 billion years, said study team member James Roberts of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab in Maryland.

Thanks for the interesting thread. It would seem that asteroids, even those that pass close to the earth, cause disturbances in the magnetic field. It makes you wonder what impact all the space debris now floating around has if any.

And one other related story today...

Earth's Magnetic Field Hisses

Thousands of miles above Earth, a cosmic chorus is filling the heavens with a mysterious, low frequency "hiss."

That's the conclusion of scientists studying data from a set of NASA probes designed to monitor substorms—dramatic exchanges of energy among charged particles that spark the auroras at Earth's poles.

The charged particles come from the sun and get trapped in loops around our planet by Earth's magnetic field.

Knowing how the hiss influences the loops, known as Van Allen radiation belts, might help scientists predict their behavior—a good thing, because the belts can bombard satellites, spacecraft, and even spacewalking astronauts with dangerous radiation.

reply posted on 11-5-2009 @ 09:24 PM by drphilxr

reply to post by Iamonlyhuman

nice try, but doubt that hubble repair is to watch for solar storms considering

the LASCO/ SOHO satellites do that now.

They are repairing hubble to look for large mass deep southern hemisphere

objects; would not be surprised if there is an IR spectrophotometer with high

sensitivity being put onboard...(fascinating how my daughter's school has

a 24 in richy-chretien refractor used by the US naval observatory for planetary

work using just such an IR spectrometer).

reply posted on 11-5-2009 @ 09:28 PM by Phage

reply to post by Iamonlyhuman

The video (if you ignore the idiot newsguy) says no such thing. Kaku, with his usual flair is casting around "what ifs". Yes, very large solar storms would cause big problems.

The interview is from December of last year. The latest prediction is that the next solar max will occur 2013 and will exhibit low activity, the lowest since 1928.
spaceweather.com...

[edit on 5/11/2009 by Phage]

reply posted on 11-5-2009 @ 09:29 PM by drphilxr

reply to post by questioningall

This has been speculated on for many years, a weakening of the magnetosphere

and a potential reversal of magnetic poles as a result, increasing susceptibility to

geomagnetic/ion storms in response to solar wind increasing events.

You would find the tangent to pole shift interesting as the first to suggest this

may have been edgar cayce in the 30's and 40's!

Also, an email chat with the chairman of a SUNY geophysics department i had

in 2004 was equally enlightening: to him, the small school of thought that

had "worked out the mechanics reasonably well" for the catastrophic reversal of

magnetic poles postulated that it could happen - not in 1000 years - but 2 weeks.

imagine that. and now kaku too.

hmmm. but this is aLL speculation. We have just come out of a loooong period

of a blank sun state, mini maunder minimum like!

One can only wait and see if the sun will rebound more or stay relatively calm.

Remember all the predictions for more hurricanes falling flat on their face after katrina?

[edit on 5/11/2009 by drphilxr]

reply posted on 11-5-2009 @ 09:31 PM by Phage

Originally posted by DancedWithWolves
It would seem that asteroids, even those that pass close to the earth, cause disturbances in the magnetic field. It makes you wonder what impact all the space debris now floating around has if any.

Why would it seem like that? The article is talking about massive impacts affecting Mar's magnetic field. One impact the size of what they are talking about and we wouldn't have to worry about the magnetosphere being gone.

reply posted on 11-5-2009 @ 09:35 PM by drphilxr

reply to post by Phage

agreed phage. but it wouldn't take much distance for a large mass object

to produce unpredictable effects on planetary magnetic fields, let alone the

interaction with the sun in various ways: EM, electric field, proton flux/ CME's and

the like. fun topic but nothing spectacular has happened since the phenomenal

flares produced in 2001-2003 (>X20!)

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reply posted on 11-5-2009 @ 09:43 PM by antar

Is the sun changing it's poles ahead of our pole reversal or shifting of the earths axis?

If so what happens within our solar system when our sun undergoes its polar reversal which happens periodically, and then how does that shift affect us on Earth?

reply posted on 11-5-2009 @ 09:43 PM by timfix

interesting how the sun spots and prediction for next high cycle is lower AT THE SAME TIME we have a massive hole in the magnetosphere. This makes me think we're lucky ,yet a little birdy told me that there will be long periods of no internet coming ,as our satelites get fried by the charged plasma that will eventually bombard them. Now, either the et's calmed the sun down so we can reinvent the internet or....

i was told that the et's can do anything you can imagine ,including cure skeptics.

reply posted on 11-5-2009 @ 09:50 PM by Phage

reply to post by antar

The Sun's magnetic field reverses every 11 years. It has no direct effect on us.

reply posted on 11-5-2009 @ 09:51 PM by Phage

reply to post by timfix

There is no massive hole in the magnetosphere. You may be thinking of the "breach" that was observed in 2007. It was temporary.