Monitoring and Modeling Space Weather

   How do we know what kind of "weather" we're having in space? Scientists use a network of ground-based observatories combined with satellite-based instruments to monitor solar activity, measure magnetic fields, and detect many types of radiation. They also use complex computer models to help predict the ebb and flow of space weather systems.
Sunspots don't look that big when you see them on the Sun (remember NEVER look directly at the Sun), but in fact they can be enormous! This composite image shows just how big sunspots can be, to scale with an image of Earth. Sunspots can be as big, or bigger, than Earth. The <a href="/sun/activity/sunspot_history.html&edu=high">earliest written record of a sunspot observation</a> was made by Chinese astronomers around 800 B.C.<p><small><em>Image courtesy of Windows to the Universe using images from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (sunspot image) and NASA (Earth image).</em></small></p>

Explore Monitoring and Modeling Space Weather

Instruments & Techniques for Space Weather Measurements

Scientists use a broad array of techniques and instruments to make the measurements needed ...Read more

How do Satellites & Spacecraft Monitor Space Weather?

Observations by Earth-orbiting satellites and other spacecraft have revolutionized our understanding ...Read more

Ground-based Observations of Space Weather

Some observations of space weather phenomena are made by spacecraft. Other observations are ...Read more

Modeling Space Weather

Scientists who study space weather make extensive use of computer models to make sense of complex ...Read more

Metrics & Indices that Describe Space Weather

Meteorologists measure quantities like wind speed, rainfall amounts, and temperature. They ...Read more

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Did you know?

Did you know that the Solar Dynamics Observatory is capturing high resolution images and data about the Sun's magnetic field?

Did you know that, in Egyptian mythology, the sky goddess Nut married the Earth god Geb, and that the Sun god Re was angry, and so forced them to separate?

 

Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day

Do you know what this word or phrase means?

Refraction
xRefraction : Refraction is the deflection, or bending, of the ray path of a seismic wave caused by its passage from one material to another having different elastic properties; or the bending of a tsunami wave front owing to variations in the water depth along a

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Research Highlights

Scientists Find Signs of “Snowball Earth” Amidst Early Animal Evolution

Geologists have found evidence that sea ice extended to the equator 716.5 million years ago, bringing new precision to a "snowball Earth" event long suspected to have taken place around that time. Funded...Read more


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