Bring on the sunshine please

Can you feel the spring season coming, or smell the Earth thawing out at bit? I can and that makes me a happy woman! I feel myself dancing a little more every day and on occasion acting like a sunflower and standing in my yard with my face up to the sky and to the sun. Beaming from my toes to the top of my head, a light shining from individual fingers and radiating in the sun. It’s a peaceful feeling for me. All that energy coursing through me.

Logistically, thinking about the source of our Earthly light, the Sun, we know that is a hot ball of glowing gases and some might know that technically it is a yellow dwarf star. It gives off different forms of radiation as well, and as we know ultraviolet radiation is what makes us tan. I do love that sensation of the tingly under my skin on summer days, being lazy and laying directly in the sun’s visible light, only then to have the sun as my witness, as it tans my skin with the ultraviolet rays.

The sun, however, plays a very important role in the context of our immense magnetic field, known as Earth’s geomagnetic field. This sits inside the magnetosphere, the region of space around Earth that protects us from solar and cosmic radiation. Think of the magnetosphere as a region that is in space shielding us from the sun and solar flares that are always happening. And our geomagnetic field has it’s origins from the core of our planet that is constantly radiating outwards into space up to the magnetosphere’s edge. I tell you all of this because, with all that is happening in space news, it is good to know the differences and similarities between the two.

Our Earth’s magnetic poles, dip poles, are shifting and there has been documentation from the World Magnetic Model of our magnetic north shifting closer to sitting in Siberia. In several years it has shifted enough to make a noticeable difference. Before the north pole was shifting roughly around the same area, but now it continuously inches closer to Siberia. That being said it causes significant changes to air travel, time and possible weather. Not only that, but with the current rate of geomagnetic storms that are caused by harsher solar flares our magnetosphere is developing weaker spots.

Next week I will continue my discussion on the Earth’s state of dip poles and the weakening of our magnetosphere. All of this and more space news, how exciting! Until then, keep warm and keep the hope alive that the impending winter storm won’t be too bad.

SEEKING

W

ONDER

BY

SAMANTHA Y OCIUS CREATIVE MEDIA