Sun's protective 'bubble' is shrinking
Discussion
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northame...
Telegraph said:
New data has revealed that the heliosphere, the protective shield of energy that surrounds our solar system, has weakened by 25 per cent over the past decade and is now at it lowest level since the space race began 50 years ago.
Scientists are baffled at what could be causing the barrier to shrink in this way and are to launch mission to study the heliosphere.
The Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX, will be launched from an aircraft on Sunday on a Pegasus rocket into an orbit 150,000 miles above the Earth where it will "listen" for the shock wave that forms as our solar system meets the interstellar radiation.
Dr Nathan Schwadron, co-investigator on the IBEX mission at Boston University, said: "The interstellar medium, which is part of the galaxy as a whole, is actually quite a harsh environment. There is a very high energy galactic radiation that is dangerous to living things.
"Around 90 per cent of the galactic cosmic radiation is deflected by our heliosphere, so the boundary protects us from this harsh galactic environment."
The heliosphere is created by the solar wind, a combination of electrically charged particles and magnetic fields that emanate a more than a million miles an hour from the sun, meet the intergalactic gas that fills the gaps in space between solar systems.
At the boundary where they meet a shock wave is formed that deflects interstellar radiation around the solar system as it travels through the galaxy.
The scientists hope the IBEX mission will allow them to gain a better understanding of what happens at this boundary and help them predict what protection it will offer in the future.
Without the heliosphere the harmful intergalactic cosmic radiation would make life on Earth almost impossible by destroying DNA and making the climate uninhabitable.
Measurements made by the Ulysses deep space probe, which was launched in 1990 to orbit the sun, have shown that the pressure created inside the heliosphere by the solar wind has been decreasing.
Dr David McComas, principal investigator on the IBEX mission, said: "It is a fascinating interaction that our sun has with the galaxy surrounding us. This million mile an hour wind inflates this protective bubble that keeps us safe from intergalactic cosmic rays.
"With less pressure on the inside, the interaction at the boundaries becomes weaker and the heliosphere as a whole gets smaller."
If the heliosphere continues to weaken, scientists fear that the amount of cosmic radiation reaching the inner parts of our solar system, including Earth, will increase.
This could result in growing levels of disruption to electrical equipment, damage satellites and potentially even harm life on Earth.
But Dr McComas added that it was still unclear exactly what would happen if the heliosphere continued to weaken or what even what the timescale for changes in the heliosphere are.
He said: “There is no imminent danger, but it is hard to know what the future holds. Certainly if the solar wind pressure was to continue to go down and the heliosphere were to almost evaporate then we would be in this sea of galactic cosmic rays. That could have some large effects.
“It is likely that there are natural variations in solar wind pressure and over time it will either stabilise or start going back up.”
Oh feck. How long before some green meanie tries blaming this on CARS!Scientists are baffled at what could be causing the barrier to shrink in this way and are to launch mission to study the heliosphere.
The Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX, will be launched from an aircraft on Sunday on a Pegasus rocket into an orbit 150,000 miles above the Earth where it will "listen" for the shock wave that forms as our solar system meets the interstellar radiation.
Dr Nathan Schwadron, co-investigator on the IBEX mission at Boston University, said: "The interstellar medium, which is part of the galaxy as a whole, is actually quite a harsh environment. There is a very high energy galactic radiation that is dangerous to living things.
"Around 90 per cent of the galactic cosmic radiation is deflected by our heliosphere, so the boundary protects us from this harsh galactic environment."
The heliosphere is created by the solar wind, a combination of electrically charged particles and magnetic fields that emanate a more than a million miles an hour from the sun, meet the intergalactic gas that fills the gaps in space between solar systems.
At the boundary where they meet a shock wave is formed that deflects interstellar radiation around the solar system as it travels through the galaxy.
The scientists hope the IBEX mission will allow them to gain a better understanding of what happens at this boundary and help them predict what protection it will offer in the future.
Without the heliosphere the harmful intergalactic cosmic radiation would make life on Earth almost impossible by destroying DNA and making the climate uninhabitable.
Measurements made by the Ulysses deep space probe, which was launched in 1990 to orbit the sun, have shown that the pressure created inside the heliosphere by the solar wind has been decreasing.
Dr David McComas, principal investigator on the IBEX mission, said: "It is a fascinating interaction that our sun has with the galaxy surrounding us. This million mile an hour wind inflates this protective bubble that keeps us safe from intergalactic cosmic rays.
"With less pressure on the inside, the interaction at the boundaries becomes weaker and the heliosphere as a whole gets smaller."
If the heliosphere continues to weaken, scientists fear that the amount of cosmic radiation reaching the inner parts of our solar system, including Earth, will increase.
This could result in growing levels of disruption to electrical equipment, damage satellites and potentially even harm life on Earth.
But Dr McComas added that it was still unclear exactly what would happen if the heliosphere continued to weaken or what even what the timescale for changes in the heliosphere are.
He said: “There is no imminent danger, but it is hard to know what the future holds. Certainly if the solar wind pressure was to continue to go down and the heliosphere were to almost evaporate then we would be in this sea of galactic cosmic rays. That could have some large effects.
“It is likely that there are natural variations in solar wind pressure and over time it will either stabilise or start going back up.”
KingRichard said:
I'm not being funny right... How the hell do they know what the sun is even? How the hell do they think they can predicts what it's going to do?
It's a huge ball of fire. It could just go out one day, then we'd all be f
ked 
Honestly... what a load of cobblers!
Better run now thenIt's a huge ball of fire. It could just go out one day, then we'd all be f
ked Honestly... what a load of cobblers!
KingRichard said:
I'm not being funny right... How the hell do they know what the sun is even? How the hell do they think they can predicts what it's going to do?
It's a huge ball of fire. It could just go out one day, then we'd all be fked
Honestly... what a load of cobblers!
You do of course realise that the entirety of science is about measurement, theorisation and prediction, yes? Without our current physical models, which include models of 'what the sun is' that 'puter you just typed your rather ignorant opinion into, would not exist.It's a huge ball of fire. It could just go out one day, then we'd all be f
ked Honestly... what a load of cobblers!
KingRichard said:
I'm not being funny right... How the hell do they know what the sun is even? How the hell do they think they can predicts what it's going to do?
Well. Science is a lot more advanced these days than when Ugh the Caveman was in charge. Given we can make Nuclear Bombs based on our understanding of phenomena like the Sun I'd say they have a pretty sound understanding of the basics of what the Sun is and how it works.After all - Humankind has been studying the damn thing since we first walked upright.
KingRichard said:
It's a huge ball of fire. It could just go out one day, then we'd all be fked
Well. It will "go out" one day. Which will be interesting. Considering whilst it's at it it will vaporise the Earth. But it isn't actually "fire". Fire is a chemical reaction IIRC and combines Oxygen with whatever is combusting. The sun isn't actually burning. It's undergoing a nuclear fusion reaction - like our power stations only better.ked KingRichard said:
Honestly... what a load of cobblers!
Naaah. I'll bet it's pretty much as they say. My point was is that we cannot possibly be influencing the phenomenon in any way whatsoever - but that the zealots could even try to blame this on Mrs T they way they carry on...Einion Yrth said:
KingRichard said:
I'm not being funny right... How the hell do they know what the sun is even? How the hell do they think they can predicts what it's going to do?
It's a huge ball of fire. It could just go out one day, then we'd all be fked
Honestly... what a load of cobblers!
You do of course realise that the entirety of science is about measurement, theorisation and prediction, yes? Without our current physical models, which include models of 'what the sun is' that 'puter you just typed your rather ignorant opinion into, would not exist.It's a huge ball of fire. It could just go out one day, then we'd all be f
ked Honestly... what a load of cobblers!
I'm not ignorant. It's just pointless worrying about something we would never be able to control
Don said:
KingRichard said:
I'm not being funny right... How the hell do they know what the sun is even? How the hell do they think they can predicts what it's going to do?
Well. Science is a lot more advanced these days than when Ugh the Caveman was in charge. Given we can make Nuclear Bombs based on our understanding of phenomena like the Sun I'd say they have a pretty sound understanding of the basics of what the Sun is and how it works.After all - Humankind has been studying the damn thing since we first walked upright.
KingRichard said:
It's a huge ball of fire. It could just go out one day, then we'd all be fked
Well. It will "go out" one day. Which will be interesting. Considering whilst it's at it it will vaporise the Earth. But it isn't actually "fire". Fire is a chemical reaction IIRC and combines Oxygen with whatever is combusting. The sun isn't actually burning. It's undergoing a nuclear fusion reaction - like our power stations only better.ked KingRichard said:
Honestly... what a load of cobblers!
Naaah. I'll bet it's pretty much as they say. My point was is that we cannot possibly be influencing the phenomenon in any way whatsoever - but that the zealots could even try to blame this on Mrs T they way they carry on...
KingRichard said:
Einion Yrth said:
KingRichard said:
I'm not being funny right... How the hell do they know what the sun is even? How the hell do they think they can predicts what it's going to do?
It's a huge ball of fire. It could just go out one day, then we'd all be fked
Honestly... what a load of cobblers!
You do of course realise that the entirety of science is about measurement, theorisation and prediction, yes? Without our current physical models, which include models of 'what the sun is' that 'puter you just typed your rather ignorant opinion into, would not exist.It's a huge ball of fire. It could just go out one day, then we'd all be f
ked Honestly... what a load of cobblers!
I'm not ignorant. It's just pointless worrying about something we would never be able to control
Who gives a damm.
we might be able to make a .000000001% difference to life on earth but we can sure as hell never gain control of the sun.
These idiots are no more than overpaid sandwich board holders who would in days of old predicted.. The end is nigh..
How do they end up in employment.
Perhaps the shield isn't weaker, perhaps the outside interference is stronger.
So let me see... ah yes lets increase tax on disposable nappies.. That sould solve it.
muppets!!
we might be able to make a .000000001% difference to life on earth but we can sure as hell never gain control of the sun.
These idiots are no more than overpaid sandwich board holders who would in days of old predicted.. The end is nigh..
How do they end up in employment.
Perhaps the shield isn't weaker, perhaps the outside interference is stronger.
So let me see... ah yes lets increase tax on disposable nappies.. That sould solve it.
muppets!!
KingRichard said:
Einion Yrth said:
KingRichard said:
I'm not being funny right... How the hell do they know what the sun is even? How the hell do they think they can predicts what it's going to do?
It's a huge ball of fire. It could just go out one day, then we'd all be fked
Honestly... what a load of cobblers!
You do of course realise that the entirety of science is about measurement, theorisation and prediction, yes? Without our current physical models, which include models of 'what the sun is' that 'puter you just typed your rather ignorant opinion into, would not exist.It's a huge ball of fire. It could just go out one day, then we'd all be f
ked Honestly... what a load of cobblers!
The Black Flash said:
KingRichard said:
Einion Yrth said:
KingRichard said:
I'm not being funny right... How the hell do they know what the sun is even? How the hell do they think they can predicts what it's going to do?
It's a huge ball of fire. It could just go out one day, then we'd all be fked
Honestly... what a load of cobblers!
You do of course realise that the entirety of science is about measurement, theorisation and prediction, yes? Without our current physical models, which include models of 'what the sun is' that 'puter you just typed your rather ignorant opinion into, would not exist.It's a huge ball of fire. It could just go out one day, then we'd all be f
ked Honestly... what a load of cobblers!
Or we could have turned the galaxy into one HUGE Dyson sphere, if we've figured out easy transmutation of matter from one form to another...
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