Storms from the Sun: The Emerging Science of Space Weather

by Michael Carlowicz, Ramón López

Space weather is all around us. And although there are no nightly news reports on the latest front moving through the heavens, we're rapidly developing the tools necessary to measure and observe trends in cosmic meteorology. But why does space weather matter to us? It doesn't affect whether we bring an umbrella to work or require us to monitor early school closings. It's far, far away and of little concern to us...right? March 13, 1989. The Department of Defense tracking system that keeps tabs on 8,000 objects orbiting Earth briefly loses track of 1,300 of them. In New Jersey a surge of extra current in the power lines fries a $10 million transformer. Shocks to a power station in Quebec leave 6 million people without electricity for nine hours. Residents of Florida, Mexico, and the Grand Cayman Islands see glowing curtains of light in the sky. All these bizarre and seemingly random events were caused by a series of solar explosions that launched bolts of electrified gas at the Earth. Trillions of watts of electricity had poured into the atmosphere--double the power-generating capacity of the entire United States. "Storms from the Sun explores the emerging science of space weather and traces its increasing impact on a society that has become dependent on space-based technologies. Authors Carlowicz and Lopez explain what space weather really means to us down here--and what it may mean for future explorations and colonization of distant worlds. By translating the latest findings of NASA and other top scientists into fascinating and accessible descriptions of the latest discoveries, we are privy to some of the most closely held secrets that the solar-terrestrial system has to offer.

Genres: Science, Astronomy, Nonfiction

234 pages, Hardcover

First published May 5, 2002

Reviews

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, still highly relevant over 20 years after its writing, is exceptional in its description of space weather concepts. Casual readers and scientists alike will find this book interesting and engaging with clear explanations of acronyms, technical jargon, and physics concepts. As a radiation physicist myself, I will be recommending this book to anyone with an interest in our star, the Sun.

[Don Voorhees · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought this book from the author after a one-day in-service about solar storms. Signed.

[Don Eggspuehler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very technical text book. I used it as a research book for a novel about a massive EMT event from the sun and how it could throw our planet into chaos.