An Introduction to Space Weather

by Mark Moldwin

Space weather is an emerging field of space science focused on understanding societal and technological impacts of the solar-terrestrial relationship. The Sun, which has tremendous influence on Earth's space environment, releases vast amounts of energy in the form of electromagnetic and particle radiation that can damage or destroy satellite, navigation, communication and power distribution systems. This textbook introduces the relationship between the Sun and Earth, and shows how it impacts our technological society. One of the first undergraduate textbooks on space weather aimed at non-science majors, it uses the practical aspects of space weather to introduce space physics and give students an understanding of the Sun-Earth relationship. Definitions of important terms are given throughout the text. Key concepts, supplements, and review questions are given at the end of each chapter to help students understand the materials covered. This textbook is ideal for introductory space physics courses.

Genres: Physics, School

156 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Walter Underwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly what I needed to learn how the sun affects the ionosphere. I understood the structure of the ionosphere and how it reflects radio waves, but I didn't understand enough about how the ionosphere is affected by changes in the sun--the sunspot cycle, coronal mass ejections, etc.

This is fascinating stuff and still a new field, with more experimental data every day. I'm pretty sure that this 2008 book is still accurate in 2018, but it might need a revision by 2028.

I need to learn more detail about the ionosphere and radio, for example, why do the E and F layers reflect radio waves while the D layer absorbs them. But that is outside the scope of this book.

Conceptual physics knowledge is enough to understand the material. I think the Bohr model of the atom and electromagnetics are college physics subjects, but everything else is high school physics. Equations are occasionally included as examples, but they aren't necessary to understand the chapters. College-level topics, e.g. the Bohr model, are explained as needed.

[Anikah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used this book during an online course of mine. It was pretty informative.

[Eric Winter]

Excellent quick overview. Minimal mathematics required.