Earth and Space Science Project Abstract
WHAT CAUSED THE GEOMAGNETIC STORM OF AUGUST 12th?
Presenter:
Catherine Breckenridge, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, 1500 W. Sullivan Road, Aurora, IL 60506; reader@imsa.edu
Advisor:
Robert Brazzle, Ph.D., Science, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, 1500 W. Sullivan Road, Aurora, IL 60506
Abstract:
The sun is often looked at as a distant burning body, only connected to the earth through its intangible light. In reality they make contact in billions of ways every day, hour, minute, and second. High-energy particles from solar flares and wind are always passing around, across, and into Earth. It‘s from these that we get magnetic storms. A magnetic storm is the name for the interaction between the earth’s ionosphere and the bombardment of high-energy particles from the sun. One effect a storm can produce is the phenomenon known as the Northern Lights. These lights are shimmering veils of color in the night. They can usually be seen in the far northern, the Aurora Borealis, and the far southern latitudes, the Aurora Australis. But on the night of August 11/12 2000, there was a storm so big you could see it from New Haven, Michigan to El Paso, Texas. It was one of the biggest storms on record. To explain why this storm was so abnormal, this inquiry looked at the constant transfer of energy between the sun and earth and its relationship with variations in the solar cycle. The aurora of other bodies in the solar system will also be considered.