|
ISTP |
December 1998
|
|
- Movies
|
Coronal Mass Ejection Directed at Earth
On September 22, 1998, the Sun ejected a mass of hot, ionized gas (plasma) toward Earth. This magnetic cloud of plasma (a coronal mass ejection) increased the density and pressure of the solar wind and produced a shock wave similar to a sonic boom. Credit: ISTP/NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Click here to view a .mpg version of this movie. Ionosphere Ejection Following a Shock from the Sun This sequence depicts how Earth's magnetosphere responds to the shock and pressure of the solar wind, particularly a coronal mass ejection. On September 22, 1998, the Sun ejected a mass of hot, ionized gas (plasma) toward Earth. This magnetic cloud of plasma increased the density and pressure of the solar wind and produced a shock wave similar to a sonic boom. When that cloud arrived at Earth late on September 24, it rammed into and compressed Earth's magnetosphere. The shock and pressure excited the plasma trapped in Earth's ionosphere to a point where some ions gained enough energy to escape gravity and flow downwind of Earth. The amount of oxygen and other gases lost from the ionosphere amounted to a few hundred tons, roughly equivalent to the mass of oxygen inside the Louisiana Superdome. Credit: ISTP/NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Click here to view a .mpg version of this movie. Aurora as Seen by Polar UVI Instrument The Ultraviolet Imager on NASA's Polar spacecraft captured this movie of the aurora as seen from space on September 24-25, 1998. Auroras are typically seen from the ground only at night, but they in fact spread around the day and night side of Earth's north and south poles. Viewing the auroral oval in ultraviolet light allowed researchers to confirm intense activity on the day side of Earth, where the plasma from the ionosphere was squeezed out into space. CREDIT: NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and Polar UVI Team/University of Washington |
|
Comments, Questions, Suggestions Webmaster
Author: Mike Carlowicz Official NASA Contact: ISTP-Project | NASA Home | Goddard Space Flight Center Home | |
