Bizarre Weather Phenomena in our Solar System
Δημοσιεύθηκε στις 11 Δεκ 2013
A look at bizarre weather phenomena
on other worlds in our solar system such as tornadoes with 6,000 MPH
winds, and rain made of iron.
Studying how the weather works on
other planets has been seen as helpful in understanding how it works on
Earth. Weather on other planets follows many of the same physical
principles as weather on Earth, but occurs on different scales and in
atmospheres having different chemical composition. The Cassini--Huygens
mission to Titan discovered clouds formed from methane or ethane which
deposit rain composed of liquid methane and other organic compounds.
Earth's atmosphere includes six latitudinal circulation zones, three in
each hemisphere. In contrast, Jupiter's banded appearance shows many
such zones, Titan has a single jet stream near the 50th parallel north
latitude, and Venus has a single jet near the equator.
One of the
most famous landmarks in the Solar System, Jupiter's Great Red Spot, is
an anticyclonic storm known to have existed for at least 300 years. On
other gas giants, the lack of a surface allows the wind to reach
enormous speeds: gusts of up to 600 metres per second (about 2,100 km/h
or 1,300 mph) have been measured on the planet Neptune. This has created
a puzzle for planetary scientists. The weather is ultimately created by
solar energy and the amount of energy received by Neptune is only about
1⁄900 of that received by Earth, yet the intensity of weather phenomena
on Neptune is far greater than on Earth. The strongest planetary winds
discovered so far are on the extrasolar planet HD 189733 b, which is
thought to have easterly winds moving at more than 9,600 kilometres per
hour (6,000 mph).
Space weather
Weather is not limited to
planetary bodies. Like all stars, the sun's corona is constantly being
lost to space, creating what is essentially a very thin atmosphere
throughout the Solar System. The movement of mass ejected from the Sun
is known as the solar wind. Inconsistencies in this wind and larger
events on the surface of the star, such as coronal mass ejections, form a
system that has features analogous to conventional weather systems
(such as pressure and wind) and is generally known as space weather.
Coronal mass ejections have been tracked as far out in the solar system
as Saturn. The activity of this system can affect planetary atmospheres
and occasionally surfaces. The interaction of the solar wind with the
terrestrial atmosphere can produce spectacular aurorae, and can play
havoc with electrically sensitive systems such as electricity grids and
radio signals.
Observing space weather from the ground
Presently,
space weather is monitored at ground level by observing changes in the
Earth's magnetic field over periods of seconds to days, by observing the
surface of the Sun and by observing radio noise created in the Sun's
atmosphere.
The Sunspot Number (SSN) is the number of sunspots on
the Sun's photosphere in visible light on the side of the Sun visible
to an Earth observer. The number and total area of sunspots are related
to the brightness of the Sun in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and X-ray
portions of the solar spectrum and to solar activity such as solar
flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs).
10.7 cm radio flux
(F10.7) is a measurement of RF emissions from the Sun and is
approximately correlated with the solar EUV flux. Since this RF emission
is easily obtained from the ground and EUV flux is not, this value has
been measured and disseminated continuously since 1947. The world
standard measurements are made by the Dominion Radio Astrophysical
Observatory at Penticton, B.C., Canada and reported once a day at local
noon in solar flux units (10−22W·m−2·Hz−1). F10.7 is archived by the
National Geophysical Data Cente
on other worlds in our solar system such as tornadoes with 6,000 MPH
winds, and rain made of iron.
Studying how the weather works on
other planets has been seen as helpful in understanding how it works on
Earth. Weather on other planets follows many of the same physical
principles as weather on Earth, but occurs on different scales and in
atmospheres having different chemical composition. The Cassini--Huygens
mission to Titan discovered clouds formed from methane or ethane which
deposit rain composed of liquid methane and other organic compounds.
Earth's atmosphere includes six latitudinal circulation zones, three in
each hemisphere. In contrast, Jupiter's banded appearance shows many
such zones, Titan has a single jet stream near the 50th parallel north
latitude, and Venus has a single jet near the equator.
One of the
most famous landmarks in the Solar System, Jupiter's Great Red Spot, is
an anticyclonic storm known to have existed for at least 300 years. On
other gas giants, the lack of a surface allows the wind to reach
enormous speeds: gusts of up to 600 metres per second (about 2,100 km/h
or 1,300 mph) have been measured on the planet Neptune. This has created
a puzzle for planetary scientists. The weather is ultimately created by
solar energy and the amount of energy received by Neptune is only about
1⁄900 of that received by Earth, yet the intensity of weather phenomena
on Neptune is far greater than on Earth. The strongest planetary winds
discovered so far are on the extrasolar planet HD 189733 b, which is
thought to have easterly winds moving at more than 9,600 kilometres per
hour (6,000 mph).
Space weather
Weather is not limited to
planetary bodies. Like all stars, the sun's corona is constantly being
lost to space, creating what is essentially a very thin atmosphere
throughout the Solar System. The movement of mass ejected from the Sun
is known as the solar wind. Inconsistencies in this wind and larger
events on the surface of the star, such as coronal mass ejections, form a
system that has features analogous to conventional weather systems
(such as pressure and wind) and is generally known as space weather.
Coronal mass ejections have been tracked as far out in the solar system
as Saturn. The activity of this system can affect planetary atmospheres
and occasionally surfaces. The interaction of the solar wind with the
terrestrial atmosphere can produce spectacular aurorae, and can play
havoc with electrically sensitive systems such as electricity grids and
radio signals.
Observing space weather from the ground
Presently,
space weather is monitored at ground level by observing changes in the
Earth's magnetic field over periods of seconds to days, by observing the
surface of the Sun and by observing radio noise created in the Sun's
atmosphere.
The Sunspot Number (SSN) is the number of sunspots on
the Sun's photosphere in visible light on the side of the Sun visible
to an Earth observer. The number and total area of sunspots are related
to the brightness of the Sun in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and X-ray
portions of the solar spectrum and to solar activity such as solar
flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs).
10.7 cm radio flux
(F10.7) is a measurement of RF emissions from the Sun and is
approximately correlated with the solar EUV flux. Since this RF emission
is easily obtained from the ground and EUV flux is not, this value has
been measured and disseminated continuously since 1947. The world
standard measurements are made by the Dominion Radio Astrophysical
Observatory at Penticton, B.C., Canada and reported once a day at local
noon in solar flux units (10−22W·m−2·Hz−1). F10.7 is archived by the
National Geophysical Data Cente
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