Description:
The study of space weather will someday be as important as forecasting a hurricane, as we move toward a dependence upon satellite transmissions to communicate, and send more spacecraft and people into space. Changes in the sun's activity are responsible for the space weather that affects Earth, and they may influence long-term climate trends. This educational brief explains how space weather is like Earth weather. It describes the Earth's magnetosphere and shows how electrical currents on Earth can be altered when the magnetic field of the Earth is altered by solar activity. The site also provides links to practical consequences of space weather and to descriptions of actual disruptive events (knockouts and blackouts).

Organization:
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

URL:
http://edmall.gsfc.nasa.gov/inv99Project.Site/Pages/science-briefs/ed-keeney/ed-spcwthr.html

Contact:
Dr. Eric Christian Eric.R.Christian.1@gsfc.nasa.gov Mailstop 661.0, Greenbelt, MD 20771 Phone: (301) 286-1682

Cost:
None

Education Level:
Grades 9-12
Post Secondary

Subject:
Sun
Weather

Resource Type:
Internet Site
Fact Sheet

Date Added to teachearth.com:
12/16/00