Book Description
The heliosphere is the environment of our sun touched by the solar wind. It extends from the lovely corona glimpsed during a total solar eclipse, and reaches far beyond the orbit of Pluto where it finally makes contact with interstellar space. It is an invisible conveyor belt for space weather 'solar storms', which cause disruptions to our satellites and electrical power grids. It also rushes past the planets and slowly scrapes away their atmospheres over eons of time. Astronomers didn't even know this vast system of energy and matter existed until the dawn of the Space Age when satellites could detect its outrushing particles flying past Earth. This book, through its 100+ illustrations, takes you from the core of the sun to the distant heliopause now being explored by Voyager spacecraft. It describes the many different phenomena tied together by the sun's plasmas and magnetic fields. Chapters cover the interior of the sun, the origin of solar magnetic fields and sunspots, and the anatomy of the solar corona. Back on Earth, you will read about how solar storms and space weather have historically rocked human technology, the hazards of interplanetary travel, and how space weather forecasters keep ahead of the next solar storm. For educators, a chapter is provided that shows how you can use a newly designed NASA Framework for Heliophysics Education to connect sun-earth heliophysics science with national education standards. Lastly for home hobbyists, there is a chapter on how to build your own space weather magnetometer stations for under $50 to keep track of Earth's raging magnetic battles with space weather.