Students from ENG 495 launch their laboratory creations (water bottle rockets) across the front lawn of the Dude.
Tornado warnings sounded while over 40 middle school students from Michigan Technical Academy were visiting. They took shelter along with Dean Munson.
Always eager to share his passion for engineering, the Dean spoke with them about why he loves the field and he asked what the students were interested in learning.
Tracking tornado activity is at your fingertips with U-M College of Engineering Professor Perry Samson’s Tornado Paths: http://www.tornadopaths.org/
FIPS was hit first
From Mercury to near Earth, researchers at U-M have three pieces of equipment that have been tracking the largest space storm during this solar cycle.
(Image Courtesy of NASA)
The Sun has a 10-11 year cycle including periods of calm followed by the tempest. The latest cycle started in 2009 and as of March 4, 2012 we have been experiencing one of the largest solar temper tantrums on record so far… All four terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars) have been hit, first bathed in high-energy proton particles and then followed by a magnetic storm.
In short hand, a solar storm like this starts when magnetic fields on the Sun’s surface erupt, releasing part of the electrically charged solar atmosphere in the form of a coronal mass ejection (CME), often accompanied by a solar flare of high energy radiation.
Michigan’s Fast Imaging Plasma Spectrometer (FIPS) is a small instrument with a soda-can sized sensor aboard NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft, which achieved orbital insertion above Mercury on March 17th, 2011. It took 7 years to get there and what it’s finding out about this series of coronal mass ejections (CME) is jarring.
Closer to Earth are two near-Earth satellites, known as ACE and WIND. What they recorded is even more intriguing. One of the sensors on WIND, SMS, also operated by U-M, was hit by so many high energy particles that (as a safety precaution) it powered itself down.
In short hand, a solar storm like this starts when magnetic fields on the Sun’s surface erupt, releasing part of the electrically charged solar atmosphere in the form of a coronal mass ejection (CME), often accompanied by a solar flare of high energy radiation.
Michigan’s Fast Imaging Plasma Spectrometer (FIPS) is a small instrument with a soda-can sized sensor aboard NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft, which achieved orbital insertion above Mercury on March 17th, 2011. It took 7 years to get there and what it’s finding out about this series of coronal mass ejections (CME) is jarring.
Closer to Earth are two near-Earth satellites, known as ACE and WIND. What they recorded is even more intriguing. One of the sensors on WIND, SMS, also operated by U-M, was hit by so many high energy particles that (as a safety precaution) it powered itself down.
The Sun’s active region 1429 (below image, upper left) is of particular interest right now. It was the genesis of this storm:
(Image Courtesy of NASA)
These active regions, or sunspots, are places on the Sun where the magnetic fields are the strongest. As the surface of the Sun bubbles and churns, these fields, which trap electrically charged gas, or plasma, from the Sun’s atmosphere, are twisted and stretched. If the stress on the fields becomes too great, they will break free as a CME, erupting into space with their mixture of magnetic fields, radiation, and plasma.
Even before the leading edge of the resultant bubble-shaped wave hit MESSENGER, FIPS could see it coming through the very high energy particles travelling at near the speed of light out in front of the CME (vertical streaks below). These particles hit FIPS — and passed right through it — triggering its detector enough to completely drown out FIPS intended measurements, the plasma around Mercury. The range of the data exceeded the capacity of the FIPS’ ability to read it – it was literally off the charts (red streaks):
Even before the leading edge of the resultant bubble-shaped wave hit MESSENGER, FIPS could see it coming through the very high energy particles travelling at near the speed of light out in front of the CME (vertical streaks below). These particles hit FIPS — and passed right through it — triggering its detector enough to completely drown out FIPS intended measurements, the plasma around Mercury. The range of the data exceeded the capacity of the FIPS’ ability to read it – it was literally off the charts (red streaks):
(Image Courtesy of NASA)
(Image Courtesy of NASA)
FIPS has been continually bombarded by these energetic particles and CME plasma since March 4 (day of year 63), and it is still going on (above). The spikes are hitting 10,000 times the normal background noise level of the instrument. FIPS can handle high background noise and still make good measurements, but this is like holding a conversation in front of a jet engine.
As the storm progressed, the LASCO C3 telescope registered a storm of protons that looked like a furious blizzard. Each streak in the image is caused by these particles piercing the telescope and speeding through its sensors:
(Image Courtesy of NASA)
Even as of March 8, 2012 10:30 am EST the image seen through the LASCO C2 telescope on SOHO looks like an electrically charged particle storm. There are two back-to-back CMEs spaced about an hour apart that are hitting this and other spacecraft, as well as the nearby Earth.
(Image Courtesy of NASA)
The near-earth measurements show a dramatic spike in the protons being fired at our atmosphere:
(Image Courtesy of NASA)
At this point we wait for the magnetic storm to hit Earth. The planet’s magnetosphere will deflect the vast majority of the wave but we should see some nice auroras cascading down from the poles.
For information about the Northern Lights visit: http://helios.swpc.noaa.gov/ovation/
Press inquiries please contact:
Nicole Casal Moore
ncmoore@umich.edu
(734) 647-7087
For information about the Northern Lights visit: http://helios.swpc.noaa.gov/ovation/
Press inquiries please contact:
Nicole Casal Moore
ncmoore@umich.edu
(734) 647-7087
Good news, everybody!
Students at the University of Michigan College of Engineering share some thoughts and perspectives on winter weather.
A view of North Campus taken 11 February 2012
Meanwhile, at Bursley Hall…Campus Day tour leaders rally for a busy one.
Page 1 of 9
