At one time, scientists thought the space between Earth and Sun was a vacuum. But we now know that the sun fills it with gusts of hot, electrically charged atomic 1 called the solar wind. Sometimes this wind blows hard. When the Sun’s outer layer is very active, it 2 nearly one-third of its gaseous matter outward at supersonic speeds.
The U. S. government’s oceans and atmosphere agency NOAA, has a Space Environment Center to monitor these 3 . The center’s director, Ernest Hildner, says 4 solar emissions are not dangerous to people on the ground, but can be a 5 to airplane occupants and astronauts. They can also shut down satellites, power networks, communications, and other technical systems.
Scientists have long known that solar storms are generated internally by the sudden 6 of magnetic energy rising to the surface. Like a tightly 7 rubber band, the Sun’s magnetic fields can suddenly snap into a new shape. Researchers have tried to predict solar storms by 8 on these magnetic patterns. But 9 . But how are they linked to solar storms
New satellite data have provided answers to U. S. government scientists and colleagues from the aerospace firm Lockheed Martin. They have revealed that 10 . Lockheed Martin physicist Karel Schrijver says 11 .