{"id":645726,"date":"2024-04-16T08:57:23","date_gmt":"2024-04-16T12:57:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?post_type=podcast&p=645726"},"modified":"2024-04-23T08:53:48","modified_gmt":"2024-04-23T12:53:48","slug":"sun-series-space-weather","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/podcasts\/curious-universe\/sun-series-space-weather\/","title":{"rendered":"Sun Series: What is Space Weather?"},"author":414,"featured_media":645731,"template":"","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[]},"categories":[10627,2800,9486,10796,9425,2857,2837,3329,3275,2890,3276,11373,2907,12875,10795,9481,9480,9484],"series":{"id":12713,"title":"NASA's Curious Universe","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/podcasts\/curious-universe\/"},"internal-terms":[],"coauthors":[12170],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Sun Series: What is Space Weather?","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/podcasts\/curious-universe\/sun-series-space-weather\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/podcasts\/curious-universe\/sun-series-space-weather\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/helio-series-cu-episode-spaceweather-v01.png?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/helio-series-cu-episode-spaceweather-v01.png"},"articleSection":"Audio","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Katie Konans"}],"creator":["Katie Konans"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NASA","logo":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/themes\/nasa\/assets\/images\/nasa-logo.svg"},"keywords":["Science & Research","Heliophysics","Sunspots","Audio","Astronauts","Auroras","Coronal Mass Ejections","Earth's Magnetic Field","Goddard Space Flight Center","Heliophysics Division","Heliosphere","Life at NASA","Magnetosphere","NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)","Podcasts","Radiation","Solar Flares","Solar Wind","Space Weather"],"dateCreated":"2024-04-16T12:57:23Z","datePublished":"2024-04-16T12:57:23Z","dateModified":"2024-04-23T12:53:48Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"Sun Series: What is Space Weather?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/podcasts\/curious-universe\/sun-series-space-weather\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/helio-series-cu-episode-spaceweather-v01.png?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2024-04-16T12:57:23Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"Audio\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"Science & Research,Heliophysics,Sunspots,Audio,Astronauts,Auroras,Coronal Mass Ejections,Earth's Magnetic Field,Goddard Space Flight Center,Heliophysics Division,Heliosphere,Life at NASA,Magnetosphere,NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration),Podcasts,Radiation,Solar Flares,Solar Wind,Space Weather\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"Katie Konans\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":35,"featured_image":{"id":645731,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/helio-series-cu-episode-spaceweather-v01.png","title":"NASA Curious Universe Space Weather","alt":"","caption":""},"season":7,"episode":6,"audio":{"id":645727,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/space-weather-sun-series-episode-4.mp3","meta":{"dataformat":"mp3","channels":2,"sample_rate":48000,"bitrate":192000,"channelmode":"joint stereo","bitrate_mode":"cbr","lossless":false,"encoder_options":"CBR192","compression_ratio":0.125,"fileformat":"mp3","filesize":49821309,"mime_type":"audio\/mpeg","length":2070,"length_formatted":"34:30","year":"2024","date":"1803","time":"1640","artist":"","album":""}},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>Sun Series: Space Weather | About the Episode<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">From Earth, the Sun can seem steady and predictable. But when you look at our star close up, there\u2019s a lot going on. Go behind the scenes with NASA\u2019s Moon to Mars Space Weather Analysis Office, a team monitoring space weather\u2014eruptions of radiation and plasma from the Sun that can wreak havoc on spacecraft and pose dangers to astronauts. We\u2019ll also revisit the most powerful geomagnetic storm on record, an 1859 event that produced northern lights visible in the tropics and made electrical systems go haywire.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img class=\"aligncenter wp-image-634106 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/curiousuniverse.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1247\" height=\"685\" \/><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Introducing NASA\u2019s Curious Universe\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335557856":16777215,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Get curious with NASA. As an official NASA podcast, Curious Universe brings you mind-blowing science and space adventures you won\u2019t find anywhere else. Explore the cosmos alongside astronauts, scientists, engineers, and other top NASA experts who are achieving remarkable feats in science, space exploration, and aeronautics. Learn something new about the wild and wonderful universe we share. All you need to get started is a little curiosity.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335557856":16777215,"335559738":240,"335559739":240,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">NASA\u2019s Curious Universe is an official NASA podcast hosted by Padi Boyd and Jacob Pinter<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335557856":16777215,"335559738":240,"335559739":240,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Discover more ad-free, original NASA shows at nasa.gov\/podcasts<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335557856":16777215,"335559738":240,"335559739":240,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Find the full NASA\u2019s Curious Universe catalog at nasa.gov\/curiousuniverse<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335557856":16777215,"335559738":240,"335559739":240,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">[Song: \u201cScience Network\u201d by Carl David Harms]<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">HOST PADI BOYD: Hey space nerds. If you were in the path of the solar eclipse, I hope you had clear skies and an incredible experience. We\u2019ll share dispatches from the path of totality in a bonus episode soon. In the meantime, the Sun isn\u2019t going anywhere and neither are we. We live in the atmosphere of a dynamic and sometimes turbulent star. Solar activity can have serious effects on Earth and to NASA astronauts and spacecraft.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This is NASA\u2019s Curious Universe. Our universe is a wild and wonderful place. I\u2019m your host Padi Boyd, and in this podcast, NASA is your tour guide.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">[Song: \u201cCuriosity\u201d by SYSTEM Sounds]<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In the fourth episode of our Sun series, we\u2019re visiting a place not many people get to go: NASA\u2019s daily briefing of the Sun\u2019s activity.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB PINTER: Check, check, check. All right. Well, it's a Tuesday morning. I just pulled up to the Goddard Space Flight Center here in Maryland. It's a beautiful day.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">PADI: <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This is Jacob Pinter, my cohost for Curious Universe. He\u2019s going to help me tell the story.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: It's finally warm. It's really sunny. It's nice to see the Sun this way, but I'm going to see what's actually going on with the Sun. Let's see what the space weather's like.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">[sound of knocking on a door]<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Hi, how's it going?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">MELISSA KANE: I\u2019m new. Melissa.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: Hey, I\u2019m Jacob. Nice to meet you (fades out \u2026 )<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">[to Padi] So Padi, as you can hear, I made some new friends.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">[Song: \u201cConstant Motion\u201d by Ben Niblett and Jon Cotton]<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">When I heard about this NASA office watching the Sun closely, keeping an eye for huge outbursts from the Sun, I knew I just had to meet this team.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">PADI: Well I\u2019m excited to hear about them. There\u2019s so much fascinating work going on at NASA that it can be hard to keep up, even for us insiders. So who are they?\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: So this is NASA\u2019s Moon to Mars Space Weather Analysis Office. <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">I want you to put in a pin in the Moon to Mars part because we\u2019ll come back to that later. Day to day, they are watching the Sun\u2019s every move.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">HANNAH HERMANN: I often say that we babysit the Sun, just monitoring the Sun for any \u201cmisbehavior\u201d.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: This is Hannah Hermann. She\u2019s a space weather analyst. And when we talk about space weather, it\u2019s not like space tornadoes and space hurricanes. It all comes back to the Sun.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">CARINA ALDEN: So, space weather. Gosh, it's so hard to give a good definition.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: Carina Alden is also a space weather analyst.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">CARINA: A lot of times when people say \u201cwhat is space weather\u201d, they say it's the interaction between the Sun and the Earth.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: As we have talked about on this show\u2014and as you may remember from middle school science class\u2014Earth is surrounded by a kind of shield called the magnetosphere.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">PADI: <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Yeah, the Sun is constantly emitting radiation that can be harmful to life, and our magnetosphere keeps us safe.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: Yeah, that\u2019s it. But remember, we are an extremely small part of the solar system. <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">When you define \u201cspace weather\u201d as something that only involves the Sun and Earth, it\u2019s kind of like saying, Well <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">I live in Washington, D.C, so the definition of \u201cweather\u201d is what\u2019s happening in the sky in Washington, D.C. It\u2019s <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">just one small slice of a much bigger picture. And the same is true for space weather.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">CARINA: I think a more inclusive way to explain the umbrella term of space weather is that it's not just what the Sun is doing to Earth, but it's also, what's the Earth doing to this interaction with the Sun? And then what's the Sun doing to other planets and other\u2014for us, like what missions, NASA missions are involved in all of that?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">PADI: <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">I like that definition though. I think we\u2019re all familiar with Earth weather. A lot of us check it every single day. But what about space weather? What kinds of phenomena does this office have to watch out for?\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: So n<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ot unlike Earth, the Sun\u2019s weather has patterns. There are things you can expect to see all the time or on fixed cycles. For starters, the Sun is always releasing this stream of particles called solar wind. And people also may be familiar with sunspots. Those are darker spots that come and go. To me\u2014and I\u2019m sorry if this is a little gross\u2014but they kind of look like pimples on the surface of the Sun.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">PADI:<\/span> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">Um, ew. You know, sunspots are actually really important to track, because those are places where the Sun\u2019s magnetic field is more intense.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Right. And then there are also events that are more unpredictable, like solar flares.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">[Song: \u201cIonosphere\u201d by Gage Boozan]<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">HANNAH: Flares are one of those sudden bursts of energy\u2014of radiation\u2014from very concentrated spots on the solar surface.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: One of the other space weather analysts\u2014a guy named Tony, who we\u2019ll hear from later\u2014he had a great analogy for this. The Sun\u2019s magnetic field is constantly swirling around like a bowl of spaghetti, and a solar flare is like someone sticks a fork into that magnetic spaghetti and twists it all around.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">HANNAH: It can get to a point if that magnetic tension is high enough, where that sunspot can't sustain it anymore. The magnetic field lines will suddenly snap into a more convenient and stable configuration, but a side effect of that is that a huge amount of energy is released.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: That energy comes in the form of electromagnetic radiation, which means a flare shoots off the Sun at the speed of light, and it can reach Earth in a matter of minutes. Hot on its heels can be another type of space weather.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">CARINA: If we see a solar flare, the next thing we may be looking for is a coronal mass ejection. Coronal mass ejection, as I like to call it for simplicity purposes, is a burp from the Sun. It\u2019s a burp of plasma.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: Now this burp can be made up of <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">billions of tons of magnetized material from the Sun erupting into space. And when the Sun\u2019s magnetic material crashes into Earth\u2019s magnetosphere, you can get a geomagnetic storm. <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">If you\u2019ve ever destroyed something by leaving a magnet too close to it, you will understand why we need to keep an eye on coronal mass ejections, or CMEs. They can be bad news for satellites and other spacecraft.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">CARINA: And so with the coronal mass ejections, we're also looking to see okay, what's the size of this coronal mass ejection? How wide is it? How fast is it going? Which direction is it going?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">PADI: Well since you\u2019re saying that coronal mass ejections are made of matter, that means they can\u2019t travel at the speed of light, right?\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Jacob: Yeah, I knew I couldn\u2019t slip any laws of physics questions past you. So coronal mass ejections typically reach Earth in a matter of days, so we can have a little bit of heads up but not a lot.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">PADI: Well I want to know what happens when this space weather makes it to Earth. Is it dangerous?\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: The short answer is: sometimes, yes. I mean, that\u2019s one reason NASA and other groups keep such a close eye on the Sun. <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">But to answer your question, I want to turn the dial all the way up to 10. I\u2019m going to tell you about the biggest solar event ever recorded, how it inspired and even terrified people who saw it, and what it could mean if it happened again today. So how does that sound?\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">PADI: OK, let\u2019s do it. So how far back are we going?<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: Well Padi, come with me, if you will, to the year 1859.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">[Song: \u201cNocturnal Memories\u201d by Ben Hicks]<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">So this was the year Charles Darwin published <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">On the Origin of Species<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. And it also wasn\u2019t long after the planet Neptune had been discovered.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">PADI:<\/span> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">Hmm. Sounds like scientific discovery might have been in the air.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: Well<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> I\u2019d like to think so anyway. So it\u2019s the end of August. Solar activity is ramping up. People notice that the aurora is much more active than normal. And then at the beginning of September, it happens.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">RICHARD CARRINGTON (voiced by Michael Starobin): While engaged in the forenoon of Thursday, September 1<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">st<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, in taking my customary observation of the forms and positions of the solar spots, an appearance was witnessed which I believe to be exceedingly rare.<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: These are the words of a British astronomer named Richard Carrington. So, outside of London, he had created his own device that used a telescope and a white sheet to study the Sun safely. And on this morning, as he was charting sunspots, he saw a huge flash.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">CARRINGTON (voiced by Starobin): My first impression was that by some chance a ray of light had penetrated a hole in the screen attached to the object-glass, by which the general image is thrown into shade, for the brilliance was fully equal to that of direct sunlight.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">What Carrington saw was not a hole in his screen. It was actually a solar flare, and until this moment, no human had ever seen one with their own eyes. <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Within a day or so, a lot more people would notice its effects. In London, the newspaper reported an unusually strong display of the northern lights.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ACCOUNT FROM THE LONDON TIMES (voiced by Heidi Leach): During the first display the whole of the northern hemisphere was as light as though the sun had set an hour before. The luminous waves\u2026 <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: And it wasn\u2019t just London. The New York Times wrote about it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ACCOUNT FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES (voiced by Angel Kumari): The northern heavens were perfectly illuminated, with the exception of a few dim and almost imperceptible white streamers.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: And there were sightings in Japan.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT (voiced by Erin Roberts): In the evening, my son returned home from the temple. He said that on his way home, the northern sky seemed to be burning. Did a fire break out? <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: And also in the southern hemisphere, like Australia.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ACCOUNT FROM THE MELBOURNE ARGUS (voiced by Michelle Handleman): The red glare illuminated the earth and tinged even the whole of the northern horizon.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: So Padi, people saw this aurora all over the world.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">PADI:<\/span> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">Wow. <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">We usually think of the aurora as something that only happens in polar region. That\u2019s why they\u2019re called the northern and southern lights. But it sounds like that wasn\u2019t the case in 1859.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: Nope. <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">You could actually see <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">this aurora in the tropics. There are reports from as far south as <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Panama and Colombia. I mean, this was a really strange, exceptional event.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">PADI: I definitely never heard about seeing the aurora in the tropics before.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: It would blow your mind, right?\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">PADI: <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">So why did the aurora behave like that? Do we know the answer?\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB:<\/span> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">Yeah, so <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">today, with what we know about space weather, we\u2019ve determined that after Richard Carrington saw that solar flare, a huge coronal mass ejection followed it. That CME probably reached Earth in about 18 hours. And that\u2019s when the aurora went bonkers. We don\u2019t know <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">exactly how big this solar storm was. But it\u2019s widely considered to be the most powerful space weather event recorded to hit Earth.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">PADI: Gosh, sorry I missed it. So what kind of effects did it have?\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: Well, there are a couple of different ways to answer that. On one hand, this strange, red aurora was super dramatic. It apparently made a huge impact on people who saw it. There are newspaper reports from the time mentioning that some people thought the aurora was an omen of something terrible about to happen or even Armageddon. <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">People wrote letters and poems about how terrifying and awe-inspiring it was. There\u2019s at least one painting that\u2019s believed to be inspired by the aurora. I mean, people could tell this was really extraordinary.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">PADI: That\u2019s pretty spooky. I mean, it s<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ounds like one of those moments when you realize just how connected we all are. I\u2019ve heard people talk about total solar eclipses the same way.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: Now, t<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">here\u2019s another way to look at it too.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">[Song: \u201cSurvival Mode\u201d by Jez Hurst and Thom Powell]<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In 1859 we were in the early days of electrical infrastructure. There was no wide-scale power grid, like we have now. But there was this newfangled thing called the telegraph, which, for the kids out there, was kind of like the grandfather of email. So the geomagnetic storm made the telegraph system go completely haywire. One of the most fascinating examples is a conversation recorded between two telegraph operators.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">TELEGRAPH OPERATOR 1 (voiced by Julia Tilton): Please cut off your battery entirely from the line for 15 minutes.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">TELEGRAPH OPERATOR 2 (voiced by Angel Kumari): Will do so. It is now disconnected.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: So, one end of this conversation was in Boston. The other was in Maine, which more than a hundred miles away, and they realized that the electromagnetic current produced by the storm was so strong that even when they completely turned off the power they could <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">still send messages.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">OPERATOR 1 (voiced by Tilton): The Aurora seems to neutralize and augment our batteries alternately, making current too strong at times for our relay magnets. Suppose we work without batteries while we are affected by this trouble.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">OPERATOR 2 (voiced by Kumari): Very well.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: In other places, there were reports of the aurora knocking out telegraph lines altogether and even causing sparks to fly off telegraph wires.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">PADI: <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">That\u2019s incredible. Today we use a lot more electricity than we did in 1859. I think most of us would feel lost if we couldn\u2019t use cell phones, not to mention everything else we rely on. What would happen if the same type of storm happened again?\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Well we don\u2019t know for sure, and honestly I hope we never find out. That 1859 storm is known as the Carrington Event, named after that British astronomer. The Carrington Event is the high-water mark for solar storms on Earth. And even though we haven\u2019t experienced anything that strong since then, we <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">have seen other examples of what the Sun can do. <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In 1989, a solar storm knocked out power to the Canadian province of Quebec for nine hours. And in 2003, a storm caused a blackout in Europe, and it also damaged a few NASA spacecraft.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">PADI: <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Those are some serious effects. I can see why it\u2019s important to keep an eye on space weather. So how does NASA do that?\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Well, that brings us back to the space weather analysis office\u2014the team of people that, as you may remember, is responsible for \u201cbabysitting\u201d the Sun.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">TONY IAMPIETRO: Every day is different here. You'll have some days where nothing happens. And then some days you'll have 11 things to enter every hour.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">HANNAH: It\u2019s fun!<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">TONY: Yeah, that\u2019s what makes it fun. The Sun is never\u2014it\u2019s never the same Sun every day.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">[Song: \u201cSequence of Events\u201d by Ken Bowley and Phil Smith]<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: Tony Iampietro is another space weather analyst. On the day I visited, he was in charge of leading the daily briefing about solar activity, which we\u2019ll hear in a second. One thing caught my eye, though, when I walked in. The office feels more or less like a small classroom. There are desks around the sides of the room. There's a meeting table in the middle, a big screen at the front for presentations, and there are whiteboards and charts and things like that on the walls. On a whiteboard tucked into one small corner of the room, I noticed a scoreboard. Apparently there\u2019s a friendly competition on the team to see who can spot the biggest solar flare.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">TONY: I just thought it'd be fun to keep track of who's had the most flares and who's had like the largest flare\u2014just kind of like a fun leaderboard. Just a little team morale thing.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: A typical day is like this: from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at least one person always has a close eye on space weather. In the evening, there\u2019s an on-call person until midnight because space weather doesn\u2019t stop after business hours. Every day at 10 a.m., whoever is the so-called primary for the day leads a briefing for scientists across NASA. Now, you\u2019re about to hear some serious solar science lingo. But I\u2019ll help explain what\u2019s going on.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">TONY: So, hello everybody. Good morning. Happy Tuesday. Starting with our general overview of the solar disk here, most of our regions of concern are over here in the southwest, with (<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">starts to fade out<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">) 3599 approaching the limb...\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: The team has a lot of tools to work with. The meeting starts with <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">images<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> NASA has spacecraft constantly watching the Sun and sending back data.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">PADI: <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">So we\u2019ve talked about some of those before on Curious Universe, like SOHO and Solar Dynamics Observatory.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: Right. <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">And so anybody can look up these images online, But it really takes a trained eye to read what\u2019s going on.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">[Song: \u201cVaccine Hope\u201d by Peter Larsen]<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Tony points out one region of the Sun that seems like it could cause trouble.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">TONY: Obviously a good sign for potentially being well connected if flaring activity does occur from this. We've only had kind of like mid to low C Class flaring. I think C3 was our highest flare from the past 24 hours. But obviously well worth watching because we had that kind of spontaneous M7 from it a few days ago. So, fun to watch.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">PADI: <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">I think you\u2019re going to have to help us out here. I heard C3 and M7. Sounds like a code.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: Yeah, so w<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">hat you\u2019re hearing is a crash course in the way we measure solar flares. There\u2019s a ranking system, kind of like the Richter scale for earthquakes. The biggest flares are called X-class. The next biggest are M-class. Then there\u2019s C-class, B-class, and the weakest category, A-class. So you heard Tony say he\u2019s mostly tracking C-class flares. That\u2019s pretty routine, and it shouldn\u2019t cause any problems. But there\u2019s other data to go through besides these images. Satellites from NASA and other groups measure different types of radiation from the Sun. Tony pulls up charts with titles like electron flux, proton flux, and X-ray flux. To boil it way, way down, a spike on these charts means the Sun might be up to something.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">TONY: We actually saw a bit of a jump\u2014not a jump, shouldn\u2019t say\u2014a rise in the proton fluxes, very small but notable. This was likely due to that M7 class flare back on the 10th. So this is a few days ago. And we see that we're still remaining nicely at background levels. But noting some small elevations from the activity. So again, kind of a sign of the times that if something bigger were to happen, maybe we'll see a much larger reaction.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: Seeing Tony connect the dots between this type of data and the observatory images of the Sun\u2014it felt like watching a detective piece together clues in real time. Sometimes other people piped up with follow-up questions or to suggest an idea he hadn\u2019t mentioned.\u00a0 At one point, as Tony walked through areas of the Sun that could <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">potentially <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">cause trouble, another voice chimed in. It was Michel Romano, the deputy director of this office.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">TONY: So we'll be taking a look to make sure we aren't missing anything that maybe it's showing up in later frames in SOHO as the first frame we see.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">MICHEL ROMANO: So any bets as to which one is going to go off?<\/span><br \/>\n<span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">TONY: If I had to bet\u2014so active region 3599, it could easily trigger one of these filament eruptions as well or maybe the other way around. There's a lot of stuff in play.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">MICHEL: So if something goes off, that's going to change the trajectory of your day.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">TONY: Yes, very rapidly.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">MICHEL: Anything else for Tony? Thank you everybody.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">TONY: All right, have a good one.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: All in all, it was a pretty quiet day in the space weather office. Now, I want to put a fine point on one thing. What we heard is a space weather <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">analysis<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. This team does not technically do space weather <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">forecasts<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. Those do exist. They come from another federal agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. So NASA, NOAA, and the Air Force all track space weather in their own ways, and they\u2019re constantly communicating with each other.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">PADI: That\u2019s f<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ascinating, and it sounds like there are a lot of different ways to keep an eye on space weather. So if NASA isn\u2019t putting out the official space weather forecast, what is there to analyze?\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB:<\/span> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">Yeah, that\u2019s a great question. And there\u2019s still a ton to do, especially because we\u2019re in the middle of one of the most active times for the Sun.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">[Song: \u201cRobotica\u201d by Carl David Harms]<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Twenty twenty-four <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">looks like it could be part of this period called solar maximum. <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">To explain what makes this year special, I\u2019m going to turn back to Hannah and Carina.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">HANNAH: What happens is\u2014the Sun is magnetic as hopefully, is, you know, starting to sink in.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: Padi, when you were in elementary school, did you ever use bar magnets in science class? Do you remember those demonstrations?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">PADI: I totally remember it. I can almost remember it like I was there, right? You put the magnet under the piece of paper. You put some filings on there that are magnetized, and you watch the magnetic field lines basically trace out on the paper. But it also felt kind of arty and creative and fun.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: Exactly. So <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">I definitely remember these lessons. The key thing that I took away is that magnets have a north pole and a south pole, right? Of course Earth also has north and south magnetic poles. <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">And so does the Sun, b<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ut the Sun\u2019s magnetic field does this tricky thing. Every 11 years, the north and south poles switch places.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">HANNAH: Over the course of, you know, several years, as those poles slowly start to flip, it causes the magnetic field\u2014you know, things get tangled up. That's when we start to see more and more of those sunspots, those active regions. We start to see more activity.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: Twenty twenty-four could be that time when the Sun is most active. <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">I\u2019ll just add that we don\u2019t really know why the cycle happens every <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">11 years, <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">as opposed to five or 20 or some other number. NASA scientists want to figure that out.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">HANNAH: What it means for us, though, in the day to day is that things just keep getting more interesting and more exciting because\u2014<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">CARINA: More to analyze!\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">HANNAH: Yeah, we're on the up and up.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: In fact, as I was putting this story together, I woke up one morning and saw a news alert on my phone about space weather. At the end of March, there was an X-class solar flare\u2014that\u2019s one of the bigger ones\u2014that produced a coronal mass ejection, which led to a geomagnetic storm here on Earth. It led to a more pronounced aurora, which would have been great news for the aurora chasers we met in the last episode of this series. But it didn\u2019t cause effects big enough for many of us to notice.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">PADI:<\/span> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">What happens when there\u2019s solar activity that isn\u2019t directed towards Earth?\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This is where this office really earns its stripes, because if you remember back to the beginning, when we tried to define space weather, a lot of people think only about the effects <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">on Earth<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. But it\u2019s bigger than that.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">CARINA: We are analyzing whatever the Sun emits in a full 360 degrees. So it does not matter which direction it is going, we will analyze it.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: NASA has spacecraft all over the solar system. Some are approximately the same distance from the Sun as Earth. Some are much, much closer. Others are farther out, like at the distance of Mars or Jupiter.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">PADI: <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">And it\u2019s even more complicated than that, because sometimes those spacecraft are on the opposite side of the Sun from us.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Exactly. So when there\u2019s a solar event\u2014even if the Sun releases a CME that, let\u2019s say, is headed straight for Mars\u2014this team analyzes it, they run simulations to see where and when the solar radiation may arrive, and they assess whether any spacecraft might be in harm\u2019s way. And if so, they can give a heads up to the team controlling that spacecraft.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">CARINA: In terms of like the missions that we support, so we've got quite a handful of missions we supported and we've had the privilege and pleasure to work with the James Webb Space Telescope. So we assisted with their launch.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">PADI: <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Jacob, can I interrupt for a second? Because NASA doesn\u2019t just have <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">machines<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> in space. Our astronauts are up there too. What does space weather do to humans?\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">As you get farther from Earth, there\u2019s no magnetic field to keep you safe. Exposure to too much solar radiation can lead to higher risk of cancer and other diseases. Carina and the other space weather analysts, they stay in touch with NASA\u2019s Space Radiation Analysis Group. That\u2019s the team that makes sure astronauts stay safe and don\u2019t face dangerous radiation levels.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">PADI: If the space weather office <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">does <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">see increased radiation, is there anything the astronauts can do about it?\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB:<\/span> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">Yes, and this is why the analysis is so critical. The International Space Station actually has some areas that are more shielded from radiation. So if the crew is expecting that higher radiation to get to them, they can shelter there and they know not to go on spacewalks or expose themselves in ways like that.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">[Song: \u201cArtificial Environment\u201d by Carl David Harms]<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">NASA is heading back to the Moon with the Artemis program. These Moon missions will help us send astronauts to Mars, and that will pose even bigger challenges to keep people safe from radiation. If you remember at the beginning how I said to put a pin in the phrase \u201cMoon to Mars\u201d, this is where it comes into play.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">CARINA: So with Artemis I, we had our six team members at the time do 24\/7 operations where we basically were analyzing space weather in real time for 24\/7 coverage, and so it was kind of like a rehearsal for us for what it will look like in terms of when the actual humans are aboard for Artemis II and such.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: When Artemis I launched in November 2022, it was our first step back to the Moon. It was officially an uncrewed mission. But it was <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">kind of<\/span><\/i> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">crewed.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">UNIDENTIFIED VOICE 1: And then Zohar will have radiation detectors beneath the vest, above the vest ...\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: There were no humans onboard. But there was a \u201cmoonikin\u201d named Campos and two other manikins named Helga and Zohar.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">UNIDENTIFIED VOICE 2: Here\u2019s Zohar.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: I think they should have named one Padi, but they didn\u2019t ask me. Anyway, the moonikins carried a whole bunch of sensors, including devices to measure radiation, and that data is really important to have for future missions. Meanwhile in the space weather office, Carina was one of the team members keeping a close eye on the Sun, even in the middle of the night.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">CARINA: And it was the weirdest sensation of you staring at the Sun all night and then coming out and it's still dark out and you go to bed during the day you like you don't see the sun for a month like in person, but you're staring at it all day for work. It's a very surreal experience.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: Padi, I used to work an overnight shift, and I completely relate to this. You must have had some late nights working on projects too.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">PADI: Oh yes. There were many late nights that were also very dark and perfect for telescope observations, and many times they were also super cold too. I can relate.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">But there is a good reason for making people like Carina stay up all night. When astronauts are out in deep space away from the magnetosphere, they need as much lead time as possible if there\u2019s a spike in radiation. So when Artemis II launches next year\u2014this time with real humans onboard\u2014the space weather analysis office will go back to \u2018round-the-clock coverage.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">PADI:<\/span> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">That sounds like a huge responsibility, keeping astronauts safe in deep space.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">It is. And leading up to that launch, I think it\u2019s starting to sink in for folks in the space weather office.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">[Song: \u201cAdvancing Knowledge\u201d by Carl David Harms]<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Last year they were invited to hear the Artemis II crew speak at an event.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">CARINA: We also got the opportunity to at least be very close proximity to the Artemis II crew and get to hear their talk in the auditorium here. So that was definitely kind of surreal, but really cool, you know, getting the opportunity to meet the crew that you will be protecting. Like, it's your job to protect them and all. And also, that was definitely surreal and really cool.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559685":720,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: You know, we always see pictures of the astronauts\u2014in this case, the four members of the Artemis II crew\u2014and there is no doubt they are getting ready for a monumental task. But I think it\u2019s important to remember that it takes a ton of people working together to make space exploration possible.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">PADI:<\/span> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">Yeah, that\u2019s a lesson we keep hearing over and over on Curious Universe. Science is much bigger than one person or one idea. It takes people working together from all kinds of different backgrounds to tackle these huge missions. So I\u2019m really glad we could meet this team. I\u2019m curious, though: how has all of this changed how <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">you<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> think about space weather?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Well, I\u2019m paying a lot closer attention to it, honestly. I find myself checking daily reports about the Sun and looking at that imagery from NASA\u2019s solar observatories. Even if I can\u2019t read it like a real space weather analyst, it\u2019s just beautiful to see a whole new side of the Sun.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">PADI: It\u2019s always beauty plus science that makes it just as cool as it can possibly be. Well m<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">aybe you can send me a telegram the next time you see a beautiful aurora.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB:<\/span> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">Padi,<\/span> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">I would be delighted. Thanks so much. And before we go, we have another installment of our new segment, \u201cWhat are you still curious about?\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">[Song: \u201cSound Design Digital Uplifting Texture\u201d by David Thomas Connelly]<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">We ask that question to every single person we interview for this show, and we want to know what you\u2019re curious about too. So it\u2019s time to take a question from a curious listener and track down the answer. Today\u2019s question comes from Lizzie Peabody. She is the host of Sidedoor: A Podcast from the Smithsonian, which tells stories about the more than 150 million treasures in the Smithsonian\u2019s vaults. It\u2019s like they sneak you into the museum right through the side door.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Lizzie, thanks so much for being here.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">LIZZIE PEABODY: Thank you Jacob, it\u2019s a pleasure to be here. Government podcasts unite!<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: There are a lot of things to be curious about at the Smithsonian, but of course air and space is a big part of that. So what kinds of space stories have you worked on?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">LIZZIE: We have told so many space stories. One was essentially about how a ladies girdle manufacturer, Playtex, and their team of excellent seamstresses outdid industrial contractors to create Neil Armstrong\u2019s famous walking spacesuit. We also did one about the first marathon run in space. And I think my favorite is a nailbiter about the Apollo mission nobody talks about, even though they should.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: OK, so let\u2019s hear a clip. That episode is called \u201cApollo 12\u2019s Really Close Call.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">[Clip of Sidedoor podcast begins]<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Lizzie Peabody: Crowds sheltered under ponchos and umbrellas at Kennedy Space<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Center in Cape Canaveral, FL. President Nixon was there.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">News Radio announcer: President Nixon to be the first President to watch a launch<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">while in office.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Lizzie Peabody: Everybody waiting.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Nick Partridge: So, countdown comes.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Radio of the Apollo Saturn Launch: Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, ignition four, three,<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">two, one\u2026<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Nick Partridge: They get to, you know, three, two, one, zero. The rocket comes to life<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">And\u2026<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Radio of the Apollo Saturn Launch: Liftoff. Liftoff.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Nick Partridge: Can't overstate the size and power and complexity and danger<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">associated with this rocket. It was the biggest, most complex machine by some<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">measures ever built.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Lizzie Peabody: Ever.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Nick Partridge: Right.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Pete Conrad on Radio of the Apollo Saturn Launch: This baby is really going.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Nick Partridge: Lift off goes without a hitch.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Pete Conrad on Radio of the Apollo Saturn Launch: That\u2019s a lovely liftoff. That\u2019s not bad<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">at all! Everything is lookin\u2019 great, skies getting lighter.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Nick Partridge: Everybody's good for a few seconds.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Pete Conrad on Radio of the Apollo Saturn Launch: 30 seconds - looks good.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Nick Partridge: 36 seconds into the flight\u2026<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Pete Conrad on Radio of the Apollo Saturn Launch: What the hell was that?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Nick Partridge: Something happens.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Lizzie Peabody: What happens?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Radio of the Apollo Saturn Launch: I just lost the platform.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Pete Conrad on Radio of the Apollo Saturn Launch: Ok, we just lost the platform. Yeah,<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">I don\u2019t know what happened here. We had everything in the world drop out.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Nick Partridge: All of the systems go down. All of their indicators go haywire. All of the<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">warning lights come on at once.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Pete Conrad on Radio of the Apollo Saturn Launch: I\u2019ve got three fuel cell lights\u2026<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">(inaudible radio feedback.)<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Lizzie Peabody: A mile in the air and approaching the speed of sound, the crew was<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">riding an almost dead spacecraft atop a 36-story rocket toward space with no idea what<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">was wrong.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">[Clip of Sidedoor podcast ends]<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: Lizzie, it\u2019s a cliffhanger! You\u2019ve got to tune in to find out.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">LIZZIE: That\u2019s right.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: Well, I know you already know a lot about space. But what are you still curious about?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">LIZZIE: I think you probably overestimate how much I know about space. Thank you (laughs). OK, here\u2019s my question. Like many people, I had the amazing good fortune of being able to see the total solar eclipse on April 8<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">th<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. I went up to Vermont with some friends and sat in a field and was completely awestruck. And I saw this bright flare on the southwest edge, and it made me wonder more about solar flares, and specifically: how can we get better at predicting solar flares? <\/span><br \/>\n<span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: Earlier in this episode we went into solar flares a little bit\u2014you know, what they are, why it\u2019s important to track them, and how they can affect us here on Earth. But improving our predictions of flares and other space weather, it\u2019s an ongoing process. It\u2019s not going to happen overnight. But NASA observatories play a big role in that research.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">[Song: \u201cResearch and Development\u201d by Carl David Harms]<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">So we mentioned Solar Dynamics Observatory earlier in this episode. It collects data that is super valuable for researchers around the world.\u00a0 So last year, researchers used data from that observatory to find some new clues that could help us see flares before they happen. So when we look at the Sun from here on Earth, we see a layer called the photosphere. So Lizzie, if you go out on a normal day and see the Sun, the photosphere is that layer you\u2019re seeing. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">LIZZIE: Oh.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: But there is this other, outer layer called the corona. From Earth, our eyes can only see it during a total solar eclipse. It\u2019s that wispy layer that you may have seen. Or if you didn\u2019t see the eclipse yourself, it shows up in pictures kind of like a halo around the Moon.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">LIZZIE: Yeah. Yeah, I did\u2014halo is exactly how I would describe it.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: RIght. So scientists discovered that in that corona, there are these flashes that happen before a flare erupts. So if you think of a solar flare as like a big, noisy fireworks show, the flashes in the corona are kind of like sparklers that let you know something\u2019s on the way. So that\u2019s one way we can get better at predicting solar flares.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Also, a few years ago, a Japanese team also used Solar Dynamics Observatory data to create a model that could attempt predictions of solar flares. The researchers say it needs more work, but it\u2019s a start. You know, those are the kinds of baby steps you need to get to the big achievement, which in this case is accurately predicting flares before they happen. That\u2019s a tall order, but it would be really helpful if we could get there.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">LIZZIE: Fascinating. OK, thank you for answering my question.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: Of course.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">LIZZIE: Thank you so much for having me, and thanks for making your fantastic podcast. I am a happy listener.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: That's Lizzie Peabody. She hosts a podcast from the Smithsonian called \u201cSidedoor\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">[Song: \u201cCuriosity\u201d by SYSTEM Sounds]<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This is NASA\u2019s Curious Universe. This episode was written and produced by me, Jacob Pinter.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">PADI: Our executive producer is Katie Konans. The Curious Universe team includes Christian Elliott, Maddie Olson, and Micheala Sosby. Krystofer Kim is our amazing show artist. Our theme song was composed by the creative Matt Russo and Andrew Santaguida of SYSTEM Sounds.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">JACOB: <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Thanks to Michel Romano and the whole team at the Moon to Mars Space Weather Analysis Office for making this episode possible. Special thanks to Alessandra Pacini at NOAA and to NASA\u2019s heliophysics team for their help throughout this series. And an extra special thanks to our talented voice actors who brought the Carrington Event to life. They are: Michael Starobin, Heidi Leach, Angel Kumari, Erin Roberts, Michelle Handleman, and Julia Tilton. And another special thanks to you! For being a space nerd.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">PADI:<\/span> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">If you enjoyed this episode of NASA\u2019s Curious Universe, please let us know by leaving us a review and sharing the show with a friend. And, remember, you can follow NASA's Curious Universe in your favorite podcast app to get a notification each time we post a new episode.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Woot!<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">NASA AUDIO TAG: Three, two, one. This is an official NASA podcast.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"raw":"From Earth, the Sun can seem steady and predictable. But when you look at our star close up, there\u2019s a lot going on. Go behind the scenes with NASA\u2019s Moon to Mars Space Weather Analysis Office, a team monitoring space weather\u2014eruptions of radiation and plasma from the Sun that can wreak havoc on spacecraft and pose dangers to astronauts. We\u2019ll also revisit the most powerful geomagnetic storm on record, an 1859 event that produced northern lights visible in the tropics and made electrical systems go haywire.  This is episode fiof the Sun and Eclipse series from NASA\u2019s Curious Universe, an official NASA podcast.","rendered":"<p>From Earth, the Sun can seem steady and predictable. But when you look at our star close up, there\u2019s a lot going on. Go behind the scenes with NASA\u2019s Moon to Mars Space Weather Analysis Office, a team monitoring space weather\u2014eruptions of radiation and plasma from the Sun that can wreak havoc on spacecraft and pose dangers to astronauts. We\u2019ll also revisit the most powerful geomagnetic storm on record, an 1859 event that produced northern lights visible in the tropics and made electrical systems go haywire.  This is episode fiof the Sun and Eclipse series from NASA\u2019s Curious Universe, an official NASA podcast.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/645726"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/414"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/645726\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":651701,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/645726\/revisions\/651701"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/645731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=645726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=645726"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=645726"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=645726"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=645726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}