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> the previous solar flares had cleared the space between Earth and the Sun to make the plasma cloud travel faster Is the matter in space such a slowdown on th

> the previous solar flares had cleared the space between Earth and the Sun to make the plasma cloud travel faster Is the matter in space such a slowdown on the plasma cloud that once cleared it allows that cloud to travel much faster?

simonh 8y ago
The matter ejected by a major flare like that would be traveling much faster than the normal solar wind of particles emitted by the sun. It's those particles, captured by the earth's magnetic field, that we see in the northern lights as glowing curtains or streams. Our magnetic field does concentrate the flow of particles, but still it gives an indication of the particle flux.
- titzer 8y ago
  My understanding is that these particles can get channeled into the upper atmosphere and when they lose energy they ionize atmospheric gasses, and those ionized gasses (such as oxygen and nitrogen) are the actual glow. So you don't see the actual particles themselves.
  - pbhjpbhj 8y ago
    You can go the next level and say it's the photons emitted that you actually see ... then go the next level and say it's a constructed view that we really "see" in our brains not the raw results of photon impacts on our retinas. Not sure what the next level is? Something about societal artistic interpretation of aurorae impacting the perception of the visual image created, perturbing our sense of reality?
    - titzer 8y ago
      It's all in your mind, man. :)
stan_rogers 8y ago
Think of it more in terms of the shape of the pulse than of the absolute speed. (And take it for granted that dumbing things down a bit is, unfortunately, normal for the popular press. It's usually just as easy to give a more accurate description in less-technical language, but for whatever reason, it's rarely done.)
- close04 8y ago
  Ok, the "dumbed down" theory sounds more legitimate. I was wondering why a cloud of ejected plasma would travel substantially faster once you "clear the space" in front of it. Especially since much of the distance traveled is before hitting the magnetopause and Earth's magnetic field. Not much to slow it down out there, certainly not something a previous flare could clear up.
NikolaNovak 8y ago
Hmm... I would have assumed that two plasma clouds would've covered substantially different path, as Earth itself would've significantly moved along its orbit in between :-/

simonh 8y ago

The matter ejected by a major flare like that would be traveling much faster than the normal solar wind of particles emitted by the sun. It's those particles, captured by the earth's magnetic field, that we see in the northern lights as glowing curtains or streams. Our magnetic field does concentrate the flow of particles, but still it gives an indication of the particle flux.

titzer 8y ago
My understanding is that these particles can get channeled into the upper atmosphere and when they lose energy they ionize atmospheric gasses, and those ionized gasses (such as oxygen and nitrogen) are the actual glow. So you don't see the actual particles themselves.
- pbhjpbhj 8y ago
  You can go the next level and say it's the photons emitted that you actually see ... then go the next level and say it's a constructed view that we really "see" in our brains not the raw results of photon impacts on our retinas. Not sure what the next level is? Something about societal artistic interpretation of aurorae impacting the perception of the visual image created, perturbing our sense of reality?
  - titzer 8y ago
    It's all in your mind, man. :)

stan_rogers 8y ago

Think of it more in terms of the shape of the pulse than of the absolute speed. (And take it for granted that dumbing things down a bit is, unfortunately, normal for the popular press. It's usually just as easy to give a more accurate description in less-technical language, but for whatever reason, it's rarely done.)

close04 8y ago
Ok, the "dumbed down" theory sounds more legitimate. I was wondering why a cloud of ejected plasma would travel substantially faster once you "clear the space" in front of it. Especially since much of the distance traveled is before hitting the magnetopause and Earth's magnetic field. Not much to slow it down out there, certainly not something a previous flare could clear up.

NikolaNovak 8y ago

Hmm... I would have assumed that two plasma clouds would've covered substantially different path, as Earth itself would've significantly moved along its orbit in between :-/