Space Weather Has A Significant Impact On Satellites And Earth, As Well


Space storms are happening in the universe, and a physicist the University of Texas at Arlington is developing a new scale that measures them. These phenomenons have an impact even on our planet, but also on our satellites. The UTA professor of physics, Ramon Lopez, said that there are electrical currents created during space weather phenomena that affect the Earth and space satellites, and he wants to see how.

Our planet is concerned because it affects satellites as well. The National Science Foundation has funded the project with a three-year, $611,472 grant. The name of the research is “Extraction and Transport to the Magnetosphere of Solar Wind Energy During Periods of Low Mach Number Solar Wind Flow.”


The disturbance storm time index measures the magnetic activity in space at the moment, but Dst. Lopez is working on the development of a new classification system for geomagnetic storms based on overall storm energy that focuses on extremely powerful storms that dissipate in the ionosphere. In this location, the consequences of such space weather are severe. The layer of the atmosphere of the Earth, which is about 40 miles to 600 miles above the surface is called the ionosphere.

According to Lopez, the ionosphere will be analyzed by this new classification that uses low numbers. He also said that it is crucial to understand the energy transfer, how to measure it, and its destination because it heats the ionosphere. The local geospace ‘environment’s extremes are represented by the geomagnetic storms and show us when commerce and defense satellites are most vulnerable. This project has received massive financial support from NASA, and the National Science Foundation as ti can end up protecting the Earth from such phenomenons.