The sun is most active during the day. Real-time solar activity monitoring

It seems to us that the source of life on Earth - solar radiation - is constant and unchanging. The continuous development of life on our planet over the last billion years seems to confirm this. But the physics of the Sun, which has achieved great success over the past decade, has proven that the radiation of the Sun experiences oscillations that have their own periods, rhythms and cycles. Spots, torches, and prominences appear on the Sun. Their number increases over 4-5 years to the highest limit in the year of solar activity.

This is the time of maximum solar activity. During these years, the Sun emits an additional amount of electrically charged particles - corpuscles, which rush through interplanetary space at a speed of more than 1000 km/sec and burst into the Earth's atmosphere. Particularly powerful streams of corpuscles come from chromospheric flares - special form explosions of solar matter. During these exceptional strong outbreaks The sun throws out the so-called cosmic rays. These rays consist of fragments of atomic nuclei and come to us from the depths of the Universe. During years of solar activity, ultraviolet, X-ray and radio emission from the Sun increases.

Periods of solar activity have a huge impact on weather changes and increased natural disasters, which is well known from history. Indirectly, peaks of solar activity, as well as solar flares, can affect social processes, causing famine, war and revolution. At the same time, the assertion that there is a direct connection between peaks of activity and revolutions is not based on any scientifically proven theory. However, in any case, it is clear that the forecast of solar activity in connection with the weather is the most important task climatology. Increased solar activity negatively affects people's health and physical condition and disrupts biological rhythms.

The sun's radiation carries with it large reserves of energy. All types of this energy, entering the atmosphere, are mainly absorbed by its upper layers, where, as scientists say, “disturbances” occur. The Earth's magnetic field lines direct abundant flows of corpuscles into polar latitudes. In this regard, magnetic storms and auroras occur there. Corpuscular rays begin to penetrate even into the atmosphere of temperate and southern latitudes. Then auroras flare up in such distant places. polar countries places like Moscow, Kharkov, Sochi, Tashkent. Such phenomena have been observed many times and will be observed more than once in the future.

Sometimes magnetic storms reach such strength that they interrupt telephone and radio communications, disrupt the operation of power lines, and cause power outages.

This is of great importance for the Earth: after all, in large quantities, ultraviolet rays are destructive for all living things.

Solar activity, affecting the high layers of the atmosphere, significantly affects the general circulation of air masses. Consequently, it affects the weather and climate of the entire Earth. Apparently, the influence of disturbances arising in upper layers air ocean are transmitted to its lower layers - the troposphere. When flying artificial satellites Earth and weather rockets discovered expansions and densification of the high layers of the atmosphere: air ebbs and flows similar to oceanic rhythms. However, the mechanism of the relationship between the index of high and low layers of the atmosphere has not yet been fully revealed. There is no doubt that during the years of maximum solar activity, atmospheric circulation cycles intensify, and collisions of warm and cold currents of air masses occur more often.

On Earth there are areas of hot weather (the equator and part of the tropics) and giant refrigerators - the Arctic and especially the Antarctic. Between these regions of the Earth there is always a difference in temperature and atmospheric pressure, which sets huge masses of air in motion. Going continuous struggle between warm and cold currents, tending to equalize the difference arising from changes in temperature and pressure. Sometimes warm air “takes over” and penetrates far north to Greenland and even to the pole. In other cases, masses of Arctic air break south to the Black and Mediterranean Seas, reaching Central Asia and Egypt. The boundary of competing air masses represents the most turbulent regions of our planet's atmosphere.

When the difference in temperature of moving air masses increases, powerful cyclones and anticyclones appear at the border, generating frequent thunderstorms, hurricanes, and downpours.

Modern climate anomalies like the summer of 2010 in the European part of Russia, and numerous floods in Asia are not something extraordinary. They should not be considered harbingers of the imminent end of the world, or evidence global change climate. Let's give an example from history.

In 1956, stormy weather swept across the northern and southern hemispheres. In many areas of the Earth this has caused natural disasters and sudden change weather. In India, river floods have occurred several times. Water flooded thousands of villages and washed away crops. About 1 million people were affected by the floods. The forecasts didn't work. Even countries such as Iran and Afghanistan, where there are usually droughts during these months, suffered from downpours, thunderstorms and floods in the summer of that year. Particularly high solar activity, with a peak in radiation in the period 1957-1959, caused an even greater increase in the number of meteorological disasters - hurricanes, thunderstorms, and rainstorms.

There were sharp contrasts in weather everywhere. For example, in the European part of the USSR in 1957 it turned out to be unusually warm: in January the average temperature was -5°. In February in Moscow, the average temperature reached -1°, with the norm being -9°. At the same time in Western Siberia and in the republics of Central Asia there were severe frosts. In Kazakhstan, the temperature dropped to -40°. Almaty and other cities of Central Asia were literally covered with snow. IN southern hemisphere- in Australia and Uruguay - during the same months there was unprecedented heat with dry winds. The atmosphere raged until 1959, when solar activity began to decline.

The influence of solar flares and the level of solar activity on the state of flora and fauna affects indirectly: through cycles general circulation atmosphere. For example, the width of the layers of a cut tree, which determines the age of the plant, depends mainly on the annual amount of precipitation. In dry years these layers are very thin. The amount of annual precipitation changes periodically, which can be seen on the growth rings of old trees.

Sections made on the trunks of bog oaks (they are found in river beds) made it possible to learn the history of climate several thousand years before our time. The existence of certain periods, or cycles, of solar activity is confirmed by studies of materials that rivers carry from land and deposit on the bottom of lakes, seas and oceans. Analysis of the state of bottom sediment samples makes it possible to trace the course of solar activity over hundreds of thousands of years. The relationships between solar activity and natural processes on Earth are very complex and are not united into a general theory.

Solar activity affects the level of the Caspian Sea, the salinity of the Baltic waters and ice cover northern seas. The cycle of increased solar activity is characterized by a low level of the Caspian Sea: an increase in air temperature causes increased evaporation of water and a decrease in the flow of the Volga, the main feeding artery of the Caspian Sea. For the same reason, the salinity of the Baltic Sea has increased and the ice cover of the northern seas has decreased. In principle, scientists can predict the future regime of the northern seas for the next few decades.

Nowadays, arguments are often heard that the Arctic Ocean will soon be free of ice and will be suitable for navigation. One should sincerely sympathize with the “knowledge” of the “experts” who make such statements. Yes, perhaps he will be partially free for a year or two. And then it will freeze again. And what did you tell us that we didn’t know? The dependence of the ice cover of the northern seas on cycles and periods of increased solar activity was reliably established more than 50 years ago and confirmed by decades of observations. Therefore, we can say with high confidence that the ice will grow in the same way as it melted as the solar activity cycle progresses.

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In order not to miss solar flares and subsequent auroras in the future, I am adding information about solar activity in real time. To update the information, reload the page.

Solar flares

The graph shows the total flux of solar X-ray radiation received from the GOES series satellites in real time. Solar flares are visible as bursts of intensity. During powerful flares, radio communications in the HF range on the daytime side of the Earth are disrupted. The extent of these disturbances depends on the power of the flash. The score (C,M,X) of flares and their power in W/m2 are indicated on the left coordinate axis in logarithmic scale. NOAA's probable radio disturbance level (R1-R5) is shown on the right. The graph shows the development of events in October 2003.

Solar cosmic rays (radiation bursts)

10-15 minutes after powerful solar flares High energy protons - > 10 MeV or so-called solar cosmic rays (SCR) - come to the Earth. In Western literature - High energy proton flux and Solar Radiation Storms i.e. a stream of high energy protons or a solar radiation storm. This radiation strike can cause disturbances and breakdowns in spacecraft equipment, lead to dangerous exposure of astronauts and increased radiation doses to passengers and crews of jet aircraft at high latitudes.

Geomagnetic disturbance index and magnetic storms

The strengthening of the solar wind flow and the arrival of coronal ejection shock waves cause strong variations geomagnetic field - magnetic storms. Based on data received from the GOES series spacecraft, the level of geomagnetic field disturbance is calculated in real time, which is presented on the graph.

Below is the proton index

Protons take part in thermonuclear reactions, which are the main source of energy generated by stars. In particular, the reactions of the pp cycle, which is the source of almost all the energy emitted by the Sun, come down to the combination of four protons into a helium-4 nucleus with the conversion of two protons into neutrons.

Austria, Gerlitzen. 1526 m.

Austria, Gerlitzen. 1526 m.

Components of magnetic field

Dependences of variations of magnetic field components in gammas on local time.

Local time is expressed in Tomsk Summer Daylight Time (TDST). TLDV=UTC+7hours.

Below is the level of geomagnetic field disturbance in K-indices.

Solar flares according to GOES-15 satellite data

Proton and electron flux taken from GOES-13 GOES Hp, GOES-13 and GOES-11

Solar X-ray Flux

There are five categories on the scale (in increasing power): A, B, C, M and X. In addition to the category, each flash is assigned a number. For the first four categories this is a number from zero to ten, and for category X it is from zero and above.

"Component H" (black trace) is positive magnetic north,
"Component D" (red trace) is positive East,
"Component Z" (blue trace) is positive down

More details: http://www.haarp.alaska.edu/cgi-bin/magnetometer/gak-mag.cgi

The GOES Hp plot contains 1-minute averaged parallel magnetic field components in nanoTeslas (nT) measured by GOES-13 (W75) and GOES-11 (W135).

Note: The time in the pictures is North Atlantic, that is, relative to
Moscow time needs to be subtracted 7 hours (GMT-4:00)
Information sources:
http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/realtime-images.html
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/rt_plots/index.html

Here is a simulation of solar activity in real time. Images are updated every 30 minutes. It is possible that sensors and cameras on satellites may be switched off periodically due to technical faults.

Ultraviolet telescope, bright spots correspond to 60-80 thousand degrees Kelvin. SOHO satellite LASCO C3

Distance to the Sun: 149.6 million km = 1.496· 1011 m = 8.31 light minutes

Radius of the Sun: 695,990 km or 109 Earth radii

Mass of the Sun: 1.989 1030 kg = 333,000 Earth masses

Solar surface temperature: 5770 K

Chemical composition of the Sun on the surface: 70% hydrogen (H), 28% helium (He), 2% other elements (C, N, O, ...) by mass

Temperature at the center of the Sun: 15,600,000 K

Chemical composition at the center of the Sun: 35% hydrogen (H), 63% helium (He), 2% other elements (C, N, O, ...) by mass

We will be able to see what is happening now in space. Sometimes, a photo appears on our portal in a matter of minutes after the camera shutter in the Universe has been triggered. This means that before this the image managed to travel... one and a half million kilometers. It is at this distance that the satellites are located.

We will start broadcasting images of the Sun with a new modern space telescope. These images are amazing. Thanks to two American satellites, the STEREO twins, we can see the invisible. That is, that side of the star that is hidden from observation from Earth.

The diagram above shows that observatory satellites A and B make it possible to observe the Sun from opposite sides. Initially, it was planned that over time their orbits would diverge so that we would be able to see the Sun not just from the side, but completely from the opposite side. And in February 2011 it happened.

What we can see right now looks like science fiction. Almost in real time we observe the hidden life of space. His secret. And clouds, clouds and other atmospheric phenomena will never interfere with this. Space is an ideal place for such observations. By the way, 90 percent of all the phenomena that occur here are incomprehensible to scientists. Including in the behavior of the star closest to us. Maybe you will help make the fundamental clues?

Look: here it is - our Sun (in the picture below), modestly hidden behind a “stub” so as not to expose the image to light. A wide-angle lens allows you to see hundreds of thousands of kilometers around. This was done specifically so that we could see the solar corona.

This image is broadcast from the STEREO B satellite. The time on the image is in Greenwich Mean Time.

Time GMT (Greenwich Mean Time): If emissions occur towards the Earth, their direction will be towards the right edge. It is precisely such bright radiant flashes that pose a danger to us earthlings. Sometimes, scientists hastily write clues on an image with an electronic pen. Notifying us about the appearance of a comet or planet in the frame. Above is the next “picture” from the STEREO B satellite, labeled behind_euvi_195, but now with a view directly to the Sun itself. We observe: is there activity on the invisible side? Depending on the location of the flashes on the right edge, you will be able to predict how quickly they will appear on the visible side. Let us remember that the surface layers of the Sun make a full revolution about 25 days. Rotation occurs from left to right. The greenish color in the image appears because the telescope is imaging the Sun's atmosphere at a specific wavelength. In this case - 195 A (Angstrom). We “look” into the temperature layer of the star at a level of about one and a half million degrees Celsius. But in the next image (below) we can see a more superficial layer heated to 80,000°C. But we are already seeing a broadcast from another amazing telescope - space observatory S.D.O. It was launched into space in 2010. Its main goal is to study dynamic processes on the Sun.

SDO transmits images very quickly. You can see this yourself by the universal time markings in the picture. It is noteworthy that this observatory's view of the Sun exactly matches how we ourselves see it from Earth. It is from this side that the most dangerous prominences “shoot” at us and magnetic storms come. And they are formed, in most cases, in dark areas - spots. Their widespread appearance is an alarming sign of magnetic unrest. This means that a magnetic storm may occur on Earth. And it is the broadcast image below that allows us to observe its harbingers - spots.

If spots appear, pay closer attention to your health. It has been proven that absolutely all people are susceptible to magnetic storms. But for some - defense mechanisms work better, others work worse. The reasons for this difference are unclear to scientists.

HOW TO BEHAVIOR DURING MAGNETIC STORMS?

General advice from general practitioner Miroslava BUZKO:

FIRST! Our portal has launched a live broadcast from the International Space Station: the life of astronauts, official negotiations, dockings, views of the Earth in real time.

By the way, the turbulent geomagnetic environment created on Earth by the Sun is most relevant for those who live closer to the North. This is caused by the structure of our planet and its position in space. Geographically, the most affected by solar storms are Russia (Siberia and the European North), the USA (Alaska) and Canada.

Let us recall that solar images appear on the portal with a time delay necessary for their transmission from the space observatory and processing for display. Everything is done automatically.

If you see a distorted “picture” in the image, this means that a technical failure has occurred. Sometimes, this may be the Sun itself, which once again splashed out its gigantic energy on those around us: And these emissions can very seriously threaten our civilization. Most modern electronic devices are not protected from the effects of abnormal solar radiation. They can fail instantly.

Let us remind you that you can read about the current unfavorable forecast for solar activity and the reasons that can greatly destroy the earth’s infrastructure in the material “Achilles’ heel of the new century”

Watch the life of a real Star! Our lives really depend on it:

(The broadcast is ensured thanks to the openness in the provision of information from the outside space agencies EU and NASA)

Sun Impact Iformer

Shown are the average predicted values ​​of the global geomagnetic index Kp, based on geophysical data from twelve observatories around the world collected by the NOAA SWPC Solar Service. The forecast below is updated daily. By the way, you can easily see that scientists are almost unable to predict solar events. It is enough to compare their predictions with the real situation. Now the three-day forecast looks like this:

Kp index - characterizes the planetary geomagnetic field, that is, on the scale of the entire Earth. For each day, eight values ​​are shown - for each three-hour time interval, during the day (0-3, 3-6, 6-9, 9-12, 12-15, 15-18, 18-21, 21-00 hours) . Time indicated is Moscow (msk)

Vertical lines of GREEN color (I) - safe level of geomagnetic activity.

Vertical lines of RED color (I) - magnetic storm (Kp>5). The higher the red vertical line, the stronger the storm. The level at which noticeable effects on the health of weather-sensitive people are likely (Kp=7) is marked with a horizontal red line.

Below you can see a real display of the geomagnetic influence of the Sun. Using the Kp-index value scale, determine the degree of its danger to your health. A figure above 4-5 units means the onset of a magnetic storm. Note that in this case, the graph quickly displays the level of solar radiation that has already reached the Earth. This data is recorded and released every three hours by several tracking stations in the United States,
Canada and Great Britain. And we see the summary result thanks to the Space Weather Prediction Center (NOAA/Space Weather Prediction Center)

IMPORTANT! Considering that a dangerous release solar energy reaches the Earth no earlier than in a day, you yourself, taking into account the operational images of the Sun broadcast above, will be able to prepare in advance for the adverse effects, the level of which is displayed below.

The Kp index determines the degree of geomagnetic disturbance. The higher the Kp index, the greater the disturbance. Kp< 4 — слабые возмущения, Kp >4 - strong disturbances.

Solar exposure informer designation

X-ray radiation from the Sun*

Normal: Normal solar X-ray flux.

Active: Increased solar X-ray radiation.

Solar activity is a set of phenomena that periodically occur in the solar atmosphere. Manifestations of solar activity are associated with magnetic properties solar plasma.

What causes solar activity? Gradually increases magnetic flux in one of the regions of the photosphere. Then the brightness in the hydrogen and calcium lines increases here. Such areas are called flocculi.

In approximately the same areas on the Sun in the photosphere (i.e., somewhat deeper), an increase in brightness in white (visible) light is also observed. This phenomenon is called flares.

The increase in energy released in the region of the plume and floccule is a consequence of the increased magnetic field strength.
1-2 days after the appearance of the flocculus, sunspots appear in the active area in the form of small black dots - pores. Many of them soon disappear, only individual pores turn into large dark formations in 2-3 days. A typical sunspot is several tens of thousands of kilometers in size and consists of a dark central part (umbra) and a fibrous penumbra.

The first reports of sunspots date back to 800 BC. e. in China, the first drawings date back to 1128. In 1610, astronomers began using a telescope to observe the Sun. Initial research focused mainly on the nature of the spots and their behavior. But, despite research, the physical nature of the spots remained unclear until the 20th century. By the 19th century, there was already a long enough series of observations of the number of sunspots to determine periodic cycles in solar activity. In 1845, Professors D. Henry and S. Alexander from Princeton University observed the Sun using a thermometer and determined that the sunspots emit less radiation compared to the surrounding areas of the Sun. Later, above average radiation was determined in the plume regions.

The most main feature spots - the presence of strong magnetic fields in them, reaching the greatest intensity in the shadow area. Imagine a tube of magnetic field lines extending into the photosphere. The upper part of the tube expands, and the lines of force in it diverge, like ears of corn in a sheaf. Therefore, around the shadow, magnetic field lines take a direction close to horizontal. The magnetic field, as it were, expands the spot from the inside and suppresses the convective movements of the gas, transferring energy from the depths upward. Therefore, in the area of ​​the spot, the temperature turns out to be approximately 1000 K lower. The spot is, as it were, a cooled hole in the solar photosphere bound by a magnetic field.
Most often, spots appear in whole groups, but two large spots stand out in them. One, small, is in the west, and the other, smaller, is in the east. There are often many small spots around and between them. This group of sunspots is called bipolar because large sunspots always have the opposite polarity of the magnetic field. They seem to be connected to the same tube of magnetic field lines, which in the form of a giant loop emerged from under the photosphere, leaving the ends somewhere in the deep layers, it is impossible to see them. The spot from which the magnetic field exits the photosphere has a northern polarity, and the one into which the force field enters back under the photosphere has a southern polarity.

Solar flares are the most powerful manifestation of solar activity. They occur in relatively small regions of the chromosphere and corona located above groups of sunspots. Simply put, flares are an explosion caused by the sudden compression of solar plasma. Compression occurs under the pressure of a magnetic field and leads to the formation of a long plasma rope tens and even hundreds of thousands of kilometers long. The amount of explosion energy is from 10²³ J. The source of energy of flares differs from the source of energy of the entire Sun. It is clear that the flares are of an electromagnetic nature. The energy emitted by a flare in the short-wave region of the spectrum consists of ultraviolet and x-rays.
Like any strong explosion, the flare generates a shock wave that propagates upward into the corona and along the surface layers solar atmosphere. Radiation from solar flares has a particularly strong impact on the upper layers of the earth's atmosphere and ionosphere. As a result, a whole complex of geophysical phenomena occurs on Earth.

The most ambitious formations in the solar atmosphere are prominences. These are dense clouds of gases that arise in the solar corona or are ejected into it from the chromosphere. A typical prominence looks like a giant luminous arch resting on the chromosphere and formed by jets and flows of matter denser than the corona. The temperature of the prominences is about 20,000 K. Some of them exist in the corona for several months, others, appearing next to the spots, move quickly at speeds of about 100 km/s and exist for several weeks. Individual prominences move at even greater speeds and suddenly explode; they are called eruptive. The sizes of prominences can be different. A typical prominence is about 40,000 km high and about 200,000 km wide.
There are many types of prominences. In photographs of the chromosphere in the red spectral line of hydrogen, prominences are clearly visible on the solar disk in the form of dark long filaments.

Regions on the Sun in which intense manifestations of solar activity are observed are called centers of solar activity. General activity The sun changes periodically. There are many ways to estimate the level of solar activity. Solar activity index - Wolf numbers W. W= k (f+10g), where k is a coefficient that takes into account the quality of the instrument and the observations made with it, f is the total number of spots currently observed on the Sun, g is ten times the number of groups which they form.
The era when the number of activity centers is greatest is considered the maximum of solar activity. And when there are none at all or almost none – at a minimum. Maximums and minimums alternate with an average period of 11 years - the eleven-year cycle of solar activity.

This influence is very great. A.L. Chizhevsky was the first to study this influence in June 1915. Northern auroras were observed in Russia and even in North America, and “magnetic storms continuously disrupted the movement of telegrams.” During this period, the scientist draws attention to the fact that increased solar activity coincides with bloodshed on Earth. Indeed, immediately after the appearance of large sunspots on many fronts of the First World War, hostilities intensified. He devoted his entire life to this research, but his book “In the Rhythm of the Sun” remained unfinished and was published only in 1969, 4 years after Chizhevsky’s death. He drew attention to the connection between increased solar activity and earthly disasters.
By turning one or the other hemisphere towards the Sun, the Earth receives energy. This flow can be represented in the form of a traveling wave: where the light falls there is its crest, where it is dark there is a trough: the energy either rises or falls.
Magnetic fields and particle flows that come from sunspots reach the Earth and affect the brain, cardiovascular and circulatory system person, on his physical, nervous and psychological condition. A high level of solar activity and its rapid changes excite a person.

Now the influence of solar activity on Earth is being studied very actively. New sciences have appeared - heliobiology, solar-terrestrial physics - which study the relationship between life on Earth, weather, climate and manifestations of solar activity.
Astronomers say the Sun is getting brighter and hotter. This is because its magnetic field activity has more than doubled over the past 90 years, with the greatest increase occurring in the last 30 years. Scientists can now predict solar flares, which makes it possible to prepare in advance for possible failures in radio and electrical networks.

Strong solar activity can cause power lines on Earth to fail and the orbits of satellites that support communications systems and planes and ocean liners to change. Solar "violence" is usually characterized by powerful flares and the appearance of many spots. Chizhevsky found that during periods of increased solar activity ( large quantity sunspots), wars, revolutions, natural disasters, catastrophes, epidemics occur on Earth, the intensity of bacterial growth increases (“Chizhevsky-Velkhover effect”). Here is what he writes in his book “The Terrestrial Echo of Solar Storms”: “The quantity and infinitely varied quality of the physical and chemical factors surrounding us from all sides - nature - are infinitely large. Powerful interacting forces come from outer space. The Sun, Moon, planets and an infinite number of celestial bodies are connected to the Earth by invisible bonds. The movement of the Earth is controlled by gravitational forces, which cause a number of deformations in the air, liquid and solid shells of our planet, make them pulsate, and produce tides. The position of the planets in the solar system affects the distribution and intensity of the Earth's electrical and magnetic forces.
But the greatest impact on physical and organic life The Earth has radiation coming towards the Earth from all directions of the Universe. They connect the outer parts of the Earth directly with space environment, make it related to it, constantly interact with it, and therefore both the outer face of the Earth and the life that fills it are the result of the creative influence of cosmic forces. And therefore the structure of the earth’s shell, its physicochemistry and biosphere are a manifestation of the structure and mechanics of the Universe, and not random game local forces. Science endlessly expands the boundaries of our direct perception of nature and our perception of the world. Not the Earth, but the cosmic expanses become our homeland, and we begin to feel in all its true grandeur the significance for all earthly existence of both the movement of distant celestial bodies and the movement of their messengers - radiation...”
In 1980, a technique appeared that made it possible to detect the presence of spots in the photospheres of other stars. It turned out that many stars spectral class G and K are sunspots similar to the sun, with a magnetic field of the same order. The activity cycles of such stars have been recorded and studied. They are close to the solar cycle and range from 5 to 10 years.

There are hypotheses about the influence of changes in the physical parameters of the Sun on the Earth's climate.

Terrestrial auroras are the visible result of the interaction of the solar wind, the solar and terrestrial magnetospheres and the atmosphere. Extreme events associated with solar activity lead to significant disturbances in the Earth's magnetic field, which causes geo magnetic storms. Geomagnetic storms are one of the most important elements of space weather and affect many areas of human activity, from which we can highlight the disruption of communications, spacecraft navigation systems, the occurrence of eddy induced currents in transformers and pipelines, and even the destruction of energy systems.
Magnetic storms also affect people's health and well-being. The branch of biophysics that studies the influence of changes in solar activity and the disturbances it causes in the earth's magnetosphere on earth's organisms is called heliobiology.

Solar activity monitoring and geomagnetic conditions Earth online according to various parameters... As well as maps of the Earth's ozone layer and earthquakes in the world over the past two days, weather and temperature maps.

X-ray emission from the Sun shows a graph of solar flare activity. X-ray images show events on the Sun and are used here to track solar activity and solar flares. Large solar X-ray flares can alter the Earth's ionosphere, which blocks high-frequency (HF) radio transmissions to the sunlit side of the Earth.

Solar flares are also associated with Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), which can eventually lead to geomagnetic storms. SWPC sends space weather alerts at the M5 (5x10-5 W/MW) level. Some major outbreaks are accompanied by strong radio bursts that can interfere with other radio frequencies and cause problems for satellite communications and radio navigation (GPS).

Schumann resonance is the phenomenon of the formation of standing electromagnetic waves of low and ultra-low frequencies between the Earth's surface and the ionosphere.

The Earth and its ionosphere are a giant spherical resonator, the cavity of which is filled with a weakly electrically conductive medium. If the electromagnetic wave that arises in this environment after circling the globe again coincides with its own phase (enters resonance), then it can exist for a long time.

Schumann resonances

After reading Schumann's article on the resonant frequencies of the ionosphere in 1952, the German physician Herbert König drew attention to the coincidence of the main resonant frequency of the ionosphere of 7.83 Hz with the range of alpha waves (7.5-13 Hz) of the human brain. He found it interesting and contacted Schumann. From that moment their joint research began. It turned out that other resonant frequencies of the ionosphere coincide with the main rhythms of the human brain. The idea arose that this coincidence was not a coincidence. That the ionosphere is a kind of master generator for the biorhythms of all life on the planet, a kind of conductor of the orchestra called life.

And, accordingly, the intensity and any changes in Schumann resonances affect the higher nervous activity of a person and his intellectual abilities, which was proven back in the middle of the last century.

Protons are the main source of energy in the Universe, generated by stars. They take part in thermonuclear reactions, in particular, the pp-cycle reactions, which are the source of almost all the energy emitted by the Sun, come down to the combination of four protons into a helium-4 nucleus with the conversion of two protons into neutrons.

The electron and proton flux are taken from GOES-13 GOES Hp, GOES-13 and GOES-11. High-energy particles can reach Earth anywhere from 20 minutes to several hours after a solar event.

GOES Hp is a minute chart containing averaged parallel components of the Earth's magnetic field in nano Teslas (nT). Measurements: GOES-13 and GOES-15.

8-12 minutes after large and extreme solar flares, high-energy protons - > 10 MeV or they are also called solar cosmic rays (SCRs) - reach the Earth. The flow of high energy protons entering the Earth's atmosphere is shown in this graph. A solar radiation storm can cause disruptions or breakdowns in spacecraft equipment, damage electronic equipment on Earth, and lead to radiation exposure of astronauts, passengers and jet crews.

An increase in the flow of solar radiation and the arrival of waves of solar coronal ejections cause strong fluctuations in the geomagnetic field - magnetic storms occur on Earth. The graph shows data from the GOES spacecraft; the level of geomagnetic field disturbance is calculated in real time.

Auroras occur when the solar wind hits the upper layers of the Earth's atmosphere. Protons cause the diffuse Aurora phenomenon, which propagates along the Earth's magnetic field lines. Auroras are usually accompanied by a unique sound, reminiscent of a slight crackling sound, which has not yet been studied by scientists.

Electrons are excited by accelerating processes in the magnetosphere. The accelerated electrons travel through the Earth's magnetic field into the polar regions, where they collide with atoms and molecules of oxygen and nitrogen in the Earth's upper atmosphere. In these collisions, electrons transfer their energy into the atmosphere, thus trapping atoms and molecules into higher energy states. When they relax back down to the bottom energy states, They
release energy in the form of light. This is similar to how a neon light bulb works. Auroras usually occur from 80 to 500 km above the earth's surface.

The map shows earthquakes on the planet over the past 24 hours

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SOLAR ACTIVITY. An active region on the Sun - (AO) - is a set of changing structural formations in some limited area solar atmosphere, associated with an increase in its magnetic field from values ​​of 10–20 to several (4–5) thousand oersteds. Most noticeable in visible light structural education The active region consists of dark, sharply defined sunspots, often forming whole groups. Usually, among many more or less small spots, two large ones stand out, forming a bipolar group of spots with the opposite polarity of the magnetic field in them. Individual spots and the entire group are usually surrounded by bright openwork, mesh-like structures - torches. Here the magnetic fields reach values ​​of tens of oersteds. In white light, faculae are best visible at the edge of the solar disk, however, in strong spectral lines (especially hydrogen, ionized calcium and other elements), as well as in the far ultraviolet and x-ray regions of the spectrum, they are much brighter and occupy a larger area. The length of the active region reaches several hundred thousand kilometers, and its lifetime ranges from several days to several months. As a rule, they can be observed in almost all solar ranges. electromagnetic spectrum from X-rays, ultraviolet and visible rays to infrared and radio waves. At the edge of the solar disk, when the active region is visible from the side, above it, in the solar corona, prominences are often observed in the emission lines - huge plasma “clouds” of bizarre shapes. From time to time, sudden explosions of plasma occur in the active region - solar flares. They generate powerful ionizing radiation (mainly X-rays) and penetrating radiation (energetic elementary particles, electrons and protons). High-speed corpuscular plasma flows change the structure of the solar corona. When the Earth falls into such a flow, its magnetosphere is deformed and a magnetic storm occurs. Ionizing radiation greatly influences conditions in the upper atmosphere and creates disturbances in the ionosphere. Possible influences on many other physical phenomena ( cm. section SOLAR-TERRESTRIAL RELATIONS).

Sometimes on the Sun, even with the naked eye, through smoked glass, you can see black dots - spots. These are the most noticeable formations in the outer, directly observable layers of the solar atmosphere. Reports of sunspots, sometimes observed through fog or smoke from fires, are found in ancient chronicles and annals. For example, the earliest mentions of “black places” on the Sun in Nikon Chronicle date back to 1365 and 1371. The first telescopic observations were at the very beginning of the 17th century. were almost simultaneously carried out independently of each other by Galileo Galilei in Italy, Johann Holdsmith in Holland, Christopher Scheiner in Germany and Thomas Harriot in England. Under very good atmospheric conditions, in photographs of the Sun you can sometimes see not only fine structure sunspots, but also light openwork areas around them - torches, best visible at the edge of the solar disk. It is clear that, in contrast to an ideal emitter (for example, a white plaster ball, uniformly illuminated from all sides), the solar disk at the edge appears darker. This means that the Sun does not have a solid surface with the same brightness in all directions. The reason for the darkening of the solar disk towards the edge is the gaseous nature of its outer, cooling layers, in which the temperature, as in the deeper layers, continues to decrease outward. At the edge of the solar disk, the line of sight crosses the higher and colder layers of its atmosphere, which emit significantly less energy.

Galileo was born in Pisa (Northern Italy) in 1564. In 1609, he was one of the first to point his tiny telescope at the sky. Nowadays, every schoolchild can even make for himself from spectacle glass and an ordinary magnifying glass best tool. However, it is amazing how much new Galileo saw with his very imperfect telescope: the satellites of Jupiter, mountains and depressions on the Moon, the phases of Venus, spots on the Sun, stars in the Milky Way and much more. Being an adherent of Copernican ideas about the central position of the Sun in our planetary system, he sought to confirm his ideas with observations. In 1632 Galileo published his famous book Dialogue about two world systems. In fact, it was the first popular science book written by a brilliant literary language, and not in Latin, as was then customary among scientists, but in Italian, understandable to all of Galileo’s compatriots. This book turned out to be a bold and risky support for the teachings of Copernicus, for which Galileo was soon brought to trial by the Inquisition. Naturally, Galileo hoped to use observations of the Sun as the most convincing argument. Therefore, in 1613 he published three letters in the form of beautiful engravings under the general title Descriptions and evidence related to sunspots. These letters were a response to the absurd arguments of Abbot Scheiner, who also observed sunspots, but mistook them for planets, which, in his opinion, were moving in the direction prescribed by the Ptolemaic system (geocentric), and therefore supposedly confirmed it. Galileo pointed out the mistake of Scheiner, who did not notice that his trumpet was inverting the image. He then proved that the spots belonged to the Sun, which turned out to be rotating. Galileo even made an assumption, which turned out to be correct, but which could only be proven two and a half centuries later, that the spots consist of gases colder and more transparent than the atmosphere of the Sun. Finally, having compared the blackness of the spots with the darkness of the sky beyond the edge of the image of the Sun and noticing that the Moon is darker than the background of the sky near the Sun, he established that sunspots are brighter than the brightest places on the Moon. This work of Galileo is the first serious Scientific research, dedicated to the physical nature of the Sun. At the same time, this essay is a brilliant example fiction, illustrated with beautiful engravings by the author himself.

The total number of spots and the groups formed by them changes slowly over a certain period of time (cycle) from 8 to 15 years (on average 10–11 years). It is important that the presence of sunspots affects the Earth's magnetic field. This was noticed by Gorrebov back in the 18th century, and now it is already known that solar activity is associated with many terrestrial phenomena, so the study of solar-terrestrial connections is very important for practical life. Therefore, continuous and constant observations of the Sun are necessary, which are often hampered by bad weather and the insufficient network of special observatories. It is clear that even modest amateur observations, carried out carefully and well described (indicating time, place, etc.) can be useful for the international summary of solar activity data ( cm. Solar Geophysical data). In addition, observations made by an amateur in this place, can lead the observer to discover a new, previously unnoticed connection with some earthly phenomenon specific to this particular place. Every amateur can use his telescope to determine the most famous index of solar activity - the relative Wolff sunspot number (named after the German astronomer who introduced it in the mid-19th century). To determine the Wolf number, you need to count how many individual spots are visible in the image of the Sun, and then add to the resulting number ten times the number of groups that they form. Obviously, the result of such a calculation depends greatly on many factors, ranging from the size of the instrument, the quality of the image, which is greatly influenced by weather conditions, and ending with the skill and vigilance of the observer. Therefore, each observer must, based on a comparison of his long-term observations with generally accepted data, estimate the average coefficient by which he must multiply his estimates of Wolf numbers in order to obtain, on average, results on the generally accepted scale. A summary of generally accepted values ​​for Wolf numbers (W) can be found, for example, in the bulletin Solar data, published by the Pulkovo Observatory in St. Petersburg.

Sunspots and especially groups of sunspots are the most visible active formations in the solar photosphere. There are many known cases when large spots on the Sun were observed with the naked eye through smoked glass. Spots are always associated with the appearance of strong magnetic fields with strengths of up to several thousand oersteds in the solar active region. The magnetic field slows down the convective heat transfer, due to which the temperature of the photosphere at a shallow depth under the sunspot decreases by 1–2 thousand K. The spots originate in the form of many small pores, some of which soon die, and some grow into dark formations with a brightness of 10 times less than that of the surrounding photosphere. The shadow of a sunspot is surrounded by a penumbra formed by filaments radial to the center of the sunspot. The duration of existence of sunspots ranges from several hours and days to several months. Most sunspots form pairs elongated approximately along the solar equator - bipolar groups sunspots with opposite polarity of magnetic fields in the eastern and western members of the group. The number of sunspots and the bipolar groups formed by them changes cyclically (that is, over a variable time interval, on average close to 11 years) changing: first increasing relatively quickly, and then slowly decreasing.

Around the sunspots there are often bright areas called faculae from Greek word torch(bun, torch). This is the initial phase of solar activity, best visible near the edge of the solar disk, where the contrast with the undisturbed background of the photosphere reaches 25–30%. The torches look like a collection of small bright points (torch granules hundreds of kilometers in size) forming chains and an openwork mesh. They are found in almost every active region on the Sun, and their appearance precedes the formation of sunspots. Outside active areas, torches periodically appear in polar regions Sun.

In the chromosphere above the plumes, their continuations are observed, having a similar structure and called flocculi (from the Latin flocculis- a small piece of fluff). This is a manifestation of solar activity in the chromosphere, clearly visible on the solar disk when observed in the spectral lines of hydrogen, helium, calcium and other elements.

Active formations in the solar corona - prominences - can reach the largest sizes. These are clouds of chromospheric material in the corona, supported by magnetic fields. They have a fibrous and ragged structure and consist of moving filaments and plasma clots, distinguished by an exceptional variety of shapes: sometimes they are like calm haystacks, sometimes they are swirling funnels reminiscent of chanterelle mushrooms or bushes, often these are figures of the most bizarre shapes. They also vary greatly in their dynamic features, ranging from quiet, long-lived formations to suddenly exploding eruptive prominences. The longest-lived, slowly changing quiet prominences are like curtains hanging almost vertically on the magnetic field lines. When observed on the solar disk, such prominences are projected into long narrow filaments , which appear dark in images of the Sun in the red spectral line of hydrogen. This is explained by the fact that the substance of prominences absorbs photospheric radiation only from below, and scatters it in all directions.

In a well-developed active region, a small volume of solar plasma sometimes suddenly explodes. This most powerful manifestation of solar activity is called a solar flare.

It occurs in the region of changing polarity of the magnetic field, where in small area spaces “collide” with strong oppositely directed magnetic fields, as a result of which their structure changes significantly. Typically, a solar flare is characterized by rapid growth (up to ten minutes) and slow decline (20–100 minutes). During a flare, radiation increases in almost all ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum. In the visible region of the spectrum, this increase is relatively small: for the most powerful flares, observed even in white light against the background of a bright photosphere, it is no more than one and a half to two times. But in the far ultraviolet and x-ray regions of the spectrum and, especially, in the radio range at meter waves, this increase is very large. Sometimes bursts of gamma rays are observed. Approximately half of the total energy of the flare is carried away by powerful emissions of plasma matter, which passes through the solar corona and reaches the Earth's orbit in the form of corpuscular flows interacting with the Earth's magnetosphere, sometimes leading to the appearance of auroras.

As a rule, flares are accompanied by the release of high-energy charged particles. If it is possible to detect protons during a flare, then such a flare is called a “proton flare.” Streams of energetic particles from proton flares pose a serious danger to the health and life of astronauts in outer space. They can cause malfunctions of on-board computers and other devices, as well as their degradation. The most powerful flares are visible even in “white light” against the background of a bright photosphere, but such events are very rare. For the first time such an outbreak was independently observed on September 1, 1859 in England by Carrington and Hodgson. Solar flares are most easily observed in the red line of hydrogen emitted by the chromosphere. In the radio range, the increase in radio brightness in active regions is so great that full flow The energy of radio waves coming from the entire Sun increases tens and even many thousands of times. These phenomena are called bursts of solar radio emission. Bursts appear at all wavelengths - from millimeter to kilometer. They are created by shock waves generated by the flare propagating in the solar corona. They are accompanied by streams of accelerated protons and electrons, causing plasma heating in the chromosphere and corona to temperatures of tens of millions of kelvins. The most likely source of energy released during a solar flare is thought to be a magnetic field. When the magnetic field strength increases in a certain region of the chromosphere or corona, a large amount of magnetic energy accumulates. In this case, there may be unstable states, leading to an almost instantaneous explosive process of energy release commensurate with the energy of billions of nuclear explosions. The whole phenomenon lasts from several minutes to several tens of minutes, during which up to 10 25 –10 26 J (10 31–32 erg) are released in the form of an energetic ejection of plasma and a flow of solar cosmic rays, as well as electromagnetic radiation of all ranges - from X-rays and gamma rays - radiation up to meter radio waves. Hard ultraviolet and x-ray radiation from flares they change the state of the earth's atmosphere, causing magnetic disturbances that have a significant impact on the entire atmosphere of the earth, causing many geophysical, biological and other phenomena.

- a stream of charged particles of high energy, accelerated in the upper layers of the solar atmosphere, which arise during solar flares. They are detected near the Earth's surface in the form of sudden and sharp increases in the intensity of cosmic rays against the background of more highly energetic galactic cosmic rays . Observational upper limit on solar cosmic ray particle energy e To» 2·10 10 eV. The lower limit of their energy is uncertain and exceeds mega electron volts (e ToЈ 10 6 eV). During some flares it drops below 10 5 eV, i.e., essentially closes with upper limit energy of solar wind particles. The conventionally accepted lower limit for the energy of solar cosmic rays is 10 5 – 10 6 eV. At lower energies, the particle flow acquires the properties of plasma , for which it is no longer possible to neglect the electromagnetic interaction of particles with each other and with the interplanetary magnetic field.

The main share of solar cosmic rays is made up of protons with e Toі 10 6 eV, there are also nuclei with a charge Z i 2 (up to 28 Ni nuclei) and energy e To from 0.1 to 100 MeV/nucleon, electrons with e Toі 30 keV (experimental limit). Noticeable fluxes of 2H deuterons were registered, the presence of tritium 3H and the main isotopes C, O, Ne and Ar was established. During some flares, a noticeable amount of nuclei of the 3 He isotope appears. Relative content of nuclei with Zі 2 mainly reflects the composition of the solar atmosphere, while the fraction of protons varies from flare to flare.

A complex of phenomena (processes) preceding the moment t 0 generation of solar cosmic rays, as well as processes occurring near the moment t 0 (associated effects) and those accompanying the generation of solar cosmic rays (with a delay T relative to the moment t 0 or t 0 + D t, where D t– acceleration duration) is called a solar proton event (SPE). For particles with e Toі 10 8 eV The time dependence of the intensity of the flux of solar cosmic rays near the Earth (time profile of the SPE) has a characteristic asymmetrical appearance. It is depicted by a curve with a very rapid increase (over minutes and tens of minutes) with a slower decrease (from several hours to » 1 day). In this case, the amplitude of the increase on the Earth's surface can reach hundreds and thousands of percent relative to the background flux of galactic cosmic rays. As you move away from the Earth's surface (in the stratosphere, at satellite orbits and in interplanetary space), the energy threshold for recording solar cosmic rays gradually decreases, and the frequency of observed proton events increases significantly. In this case, the time profile of the rays, as a rule, stretches over several tens of hours.

The distribution of solar cosmic rays by energy and charge near the Earth is determined by the mechanism of acceleration of particles in the source (solar flare), the characteristics of their exit from the acceleration region and the conditions of propagation in the interplanetary medium, therefore it is very difficult to reliably establish the shape of the spectrum of solar cosmic rays. Apparently, it is not the same in different energy intervals: in the representation of the differential energy spectrum power function ~ e-– g To g index decreases as the energy decreases) (the spectrum becomes flatter). In interplanetary magnetic fields, the spectrum noticeably transforms with time, and the value of g increases and the spectrum remains steeply falling, i.e. the number of particles decreases rapidly with increasing energy. The spectrum indicator in the source can vary from event to event within 2 Ј g Ј 5 depending on the power of the SPE and the energy interval under consideration, and for the Earth - accordingly within 2 Ј g Ј 7. Full number accelerated protons released into interplanetary space during a powerful SPE can exceed 10 32 , and their total energy is 10 31 erg, which is comparable to the energy of the electromagnetic radiation of the flare. The height at which particle acceleration occurs in the solar atmosphere appears to be different for different flares: in some cases, the acceleration region (source) is located in the corona, at a concentration of plasma particles P~ 10 11 cm –3 , in others – in the chromosphere, where P~ 10 13 cm –3 . The exit of solar cosmic rays beyond the solar atmosphere is significantly influenced by the configuration of magnetic fields in the corona.

Particle acceleration is closely related to the mechanism of occurrence and development of solar flares themselves. The main source of flare energy is the magnetic field. When it changes, electric fields arise, which accelerate charged particles. The most probable mechanisms of particle acceleration in flares are considered to be electromagnetic. Cosmic ray particles with charge Ze, mass At r and speed n in electromagnetic fields are usually characterized by magnetic rigidity R = Amp With n /Ze, Where A– atomic number of the element. When accelerated by a quasi-regular electric field that arises when the neutral current layer breaks in a flare, the process acceleration, all particles of hot plasma from the discontinuity region are involved, and a spectrum of solar cosmic rays of the form ~ exp ( –R/R 0), where R 0 – characteristic stiffness. If the magnetic field in the flare region changes regularly (for example, it grows over time according to a certain law), then the effect of betatron acceleration is possible. This mechanism leads to a power-law spectrum in rigidity (~ R – g). In the highly turbulent plasma of the solar atmosphere Irregularly changing electric and magnetic fields also arise, which lead to stochastic acceleration. The mechanism of statistical acceleration during collisions of particles with magnetic inhomogeneities (Fermi mechanism) has been developed in most detail. This mechanism gives an energy spectrum of the form ~ e – gk.

Under flare conditions, the main role should be played by fast (regular) acceleration mechanisms, although the theory also allows for an alternative possibility - slow (stochastic) acceleration. Due to the complexity of the physical picture of flares and the lack of accuracy of observations, it is difficult to choose between different mechanisms. At the same time, observations and theoretical analysis show that some combination of acceleration mechanisms may be at work in a flare. Fundamentally important information about the acceleration processes of solar cosmic rays can be obtained by recording the neutron flux and gamma radiation from flares, as well as from X-ray and radio electromagnetic radiation. Data on these radiations obtained using spacecraft indicate the rapid acceleration of solar cosmic rays (in seconds of time).

Leaving the acceleration region, particles of solar cosmic rays wander for many hours in the interplanetary magnetic field, scattering on its inhomogeneities, and gradually move to the periphery solar system. Some of them invade the Earth’s atmosphere, causing additional ionization of atmospheric gases (mainly in the area polar ice caps). Sufficiently intense fluxes of solar cosmic rays can significantly deplete the ozone layer of the atmosphere. Thus, solar cosmic rays play an active role in the system of solar-terrestrial connections. Powerful streams of fast particles during solar flares can create a serious danger in interplanetary space for spacecraft crews, their solar panels and electronic equipment. It has been established that the largest contribution to the total dose comes from solar protons with an energy of 2·10 7 – 5·10 8 eV. Particles of lower energies are effectively absorbed by the skin of spacecraft. Relatively small solar proton events produce a maximum flux of protons with energy ec i 10 8 eV is not higher than 10 2 – 10 3 cm –2 s –1, which is comparable to the proton flux in the Earth’s internal radiation belt. Behind Lately one of the most powerful X17 flares occurred in September 2005. The values ​​of the maximum proton fluxes during powerful SPEs increase as the energy decreases. To ensure radiation safety of spacecraft, it is necessary to predict solar flares.

The German amateur astronomer Heinrich Schwabe from Dessau, a pharmacist by profession, observed the Sun every clear day for a quarter of a century and noted the number of sunspots he noticed. When he was convinced that this number regularly increases and decreases, he published his observations in 1851 and thereby attracted the attention of scientists to his discovery. The director of the observatory in Zurich, R. Wolf, studied in detail the earlier data on the observation of sunspots and organized their further systematic registration. He introduced a special index to characterize the spot-forming activity of the Sun, proportional to the sum of the number of all individual spots currently observed on the solar disk and ten times the number of groups formed by them. Subsequently, this index began to be called Wolf numbers. It turned out that the alternation of maxima and minima of the series of Wolf numbers does not occur strictly periodically, but at time intervals ranging from eight to fifteen years. However, in different eras the interval turned out to be the same, on average - about eleven years. Therefore, the phenomenon began to be called the 11-year cycle of solar activity.

At the beginning of the cycle, there are almost no sunspots at all. Then, over several years, their number increases to a certain maximum, after which somewhat more slowly it decreases again to a minimum. Taking into account the alternation of the magnetic polarity of the spots of bipolar groups and the entire Sun in neighboring cycles, the 22-year cycle of solar activity is physically more justified. There is evidence of the existence of longer cycles: 35-year (Brückner cycle), secular (80–130 years) and some others.

The level of solar activity is usually characterized by special solar activity indices. The most famous of these are the Wolf numbers W, introduced by the German astronomer Rudolf Wolf: W = k(f + 10g), Where, f is the number of all individual spots currently observed on the solar disk, and g– tenfold the number of groups formed by them. This index successfully reflects the contribution to solar activity not only from the sunspots themselves, but also from the entire active region, mainly occupied by faculae. Therefore the numbers W agree very well with modern, more accurate indices, for example, the magnitude of the flux of radio emission from the entire Sun at a wave of 10.7 cm. There are also many other indices of solar activity, determined by the area of ​​faculae, flocculi, sunspot shadows, the number of flares, etc.

Different types of solar radiation determine the heat balance of land, ocean and atmosphere. Beyond the earth's atmosphere for each square meter a platform perpendicular to the sun's rays accounts for a little more than 1.3 kilowatts of energy. The Earth's land and waters absorb about half of this energy, and about one-fifth of it is absorbed in the atmosphere. The rest of the solar energy (about 30%) is reflected back into interplanetary space, mainly by the Earth's atmosphere. It is difficult to imagine what will happen if for some time some kind of barrier blocks the path of these rays to Earth. Arctic cold will quickly begin to grip our planet. In a week the tropics will be covered with snow. The rivers will freeze, the winds will subside and the ocean will freeze to the bottom. Winter will come suddenly and everywhere. Heavy rain will begin, but not from water, but from liquid air (mainly liquid nitrogen and oxygen). It will quickly freeze and cover the entire planet with a seven-meter layer. No life can survive in such conditions. Fortunately, all this cannot happen, at least suddenly and in the foreseeable future, but the picture described quite clearly illustrates the importance of the Sun for the Earth. Sunlight and heat were the most important factors in the emergence and development of biological life forms on our planet. The energy of wind, waterfalls, river flows and oceans is the stored energy of the Sun. The same can be said about fossil fuels: coal, oil, gas. Under the influence of electromagnetic and corpuscular radiation The sun's air molecules break down into individual atoms, which in turn become ionized. Charged upper layers of the earth's atmosphere are formed: the ionosphere and ozonosphere. They divert or absorb harmful ionizing and penetrating solar radiation, passing to the Earth's surface only that part of the Sun's energy that is useful to the living world, to which plants and living beings have adapted. However, even a tiny residual portion of ultraviolet rays that reach our beaches can cause a lot of trouble for unwary tourists eager to get a tan.

A complex of phenomena associated with the influence of solar corpuscular and electromagnetic radiation on geomagnetic, atmospheric, climatic, weather, biological and other geophysical and geological processes - the subject of a special discipline called solar-terrestrial connections. Its main ideas were laid down at the beginning of the 20th century. through the works of outstanding Russian scientists V.I. Vernadsky, K.E. Tsiolkovsky and A.L. Chizhevsky - the founder of heliobiology, an active researcher of the influence of solar activity on a variety of phenomena occurring on Earth.

The Earth's surface heats up more than the air, so the surface air layers are warmer than the overlying ones. If you look at an open landscape on a hot day, you will notice rising jets of hot air. Thus, mixing (convection) occurs in the lower atmosphere of the Earth, similar to that which leads to the formation of granulation in the solar photosphere. This layer, 10–12 kilometers thick (in mid-latitudes), is called the troposphere. It is clearly visible from above from the window of an airplane flying over a veil of cumulus clouds - a manifestation of convection in the earth's atmosphere. The temperature in the troposphere steadily decreases with altitude, down to values ​​of –40 and even –80° C at altitudes of about 8 and 100 km.

Inflow sunlight and heat to the rotating Earth leads to daily temperature changes at almost all latitudes, except for the polar ice caps, where nights and days can last up to six months. But what is most important here is the annual rhythm of solar irradiation, which is also noticeable throughout the Earth, except for the equatorial zone, where only the change of day and night is felt. Daily and annual changes in the Earth's illumination sun rays lead to complex periodic variability in heating in different regions of the Earth. Uneven heating of different parts of the land, ocean and atmosphere leads to the emergence of powerful jet streams in the oceans, as well as winds, cyclones and hurricanes in the troposphere. These movements of matter smooth out temperature changes and at the same time have a strong influence on the weather at every point on the Earth and shape the climate on the entire planet. It can be expected that the thermal regime on Earth, established over thousands of years, should ensure extremely accurate repeatability of weather phenomena in each given region. In some places this is true, for example, since ancient history It is known that the Nile floods, associated with precipitation in its upper reaches, begin like clockwork on the same day of the tropical year. However, in many other places, while the general patterns remain the same, noticeable deviations from the average are often observed. Many of them are reflected in calendars different nations, in particular in Russian (May is cold - the year is fertile, if on Evdokia a chicken can drink from a puddle, the summer will be warm, etc.). However, the dates, for example, of Epiphany and Vvedenka frosts are more stable, and those of Christmas - less so. From geology we know about several ice ages. All these anomalies, at least partially, may be associated with solar activity.

Edward Kononovich

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