What is the future cosmic weather forecast?

1998 1 month, many Americans will notice that the images on their TV screens mysteriously become interference "snowflakes".

Scientists believe that the culprit is not the winter storm that interferes with the local radio station, but the sudden interruption of the entire American TV image caused by the solar storm.

Once the hot gas erupts from the surface of the sun, there will be a solar storm. These eruptions are called sunspots, and they emit huge clouds containing trillions of tiny particles, which are scattered in the vast space. On June+1October 65438+1October 65438+1October 0, the earth was in this huge eruption, which led to the interruption of satellite and TV transmission for several hours. Experts estimate that the direct economic loss is about $200 million.

Researchers at Montana State University in the United States pointed out that in the near future, bad "cosmic weather" may have a greater destructive effect on the earth. They predicted that a big solar storm might interfere with the communication between continents and lead to a blackout.

1. windy weather

The earth is often bathed in the solar wind-a continuous stream of charged particles, which is emitted from the dazzling sunlight of the sun. Most of these particles are charged electrons and positively charged protons, and they travel through space at a speed of 500 kilometers per second.

Scientists say that although the solar wind is like a gust of wind, the interference intensity close to a hurricane is by no means normal. Every 1 1 year 1 time, the sun will enter the so-called solar activity peak. At this time, the interference of solar wind will occur more frequently and the intensity will be stronger.

At present, the sun is in its lowest period, which is marked by relatively few solar storms. At this time, another sign is that there are relatively few sunspots-dark spots on the sun's surface related to solar flares.

However, scientists predict that the sun will enter its highest solar radiation period again sometime in 2000. There will be hundreds of sunspots and solar flares, which will emit a fast stream of particles. If this prediction comes true, the earth will be in bad cosmic weather at the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the next century.

2. Magnetic damage

Fortunately, the earth has a natural barrier against solar storms, which is the magnetosphere of the earth-a region similar to tears, which determines the boundary of our magnetic field. This magnetosphere can make most charged particles in the solar wind deviate from the earth. However, many of these particles will not be deflected, but will be trapped in the magnetosphere.

The remaining particles rotate through "holes" in the geomagnetic fields of the North and South poles. These rotating particles meet nitrogen atoms and oxygen atoms in the atmosphere and release light pulses, which often form dazzling light, that is, aurora. Slightly flickering light can be seen in the night sky in the south latitude and north latitude of the North and South Poles.

Large solar storms, such as those in June199765438+1October1day, are so powerful that they may compress the earth's magnetosphere in a short time. Sometimes, the solar storm can be so big that its magnetic field is superimposed on the geomagnetic field, resulting in a bucket head, and charged particles can be injected into the earth's atmosphere and even reach the earth's surface.

Once this happens, the power of the solar wind can be felt not only in space but also on the ground. 1989, the last time the solar radiation was maximum, a huge solar wind disrupted the whole power supply network. This solar storm was the most experienced in Quebec, Canada, and caused power outages for several hours.

3. Forecast of solar storms

Some scientists worry that after three years, the sun will enter the next peak of solar activity, and the damage caused by solar storms may be more serious. This is because modern civilization relies more on satellite communication and navigation than before. Power grids are bigger than 10 years ago, which makes them more vulnerable to solar storms.

At present, some scientists are studying how to improve the cosmic weather forecast. It is hoped that these forecasts will be more accurate and timely by using new space detectors that can monitor the solar activity around the clock. For this reason, NASA launched an advanced synthetic detector, namely ACE detector. This plane can look for signs of solar flares and provide technicians with an hour-long warning of severe solar storms.

If ACE detects a solar storm, technicians will shut down the sensitive electronic equipment on the satellite ground before the storm rages. Wait until the storm has passed, then turn on the electronic equipment. This can minimize the damage of solar storm to satellite power grid.