The Weather Notebook: Space Weather

Space Weather
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Dave Thurlow, Host

Today on the show, we hear from Steve McGreevy as he records, listens to, and talks about space weather.

What is the Magnetosphere? - Marshall Space Flight Center

SM: "At this very moment I've got my headphones on and these whistlers are really coming in big streams now. There's just one whistler kind of merging with another, all slowly descending in pitch.

When I discovered earth makes its own radio waves, I was amazed because I'm a nature enthusiast anyway. I've always been interested in astronomy and science. There's a station in Colorado called WWV which does nothing but transmit the time 24 hours a day on shortwave. But once an hour WWV gives...let's me know what's going on with the earth's magnetic field and they give what's called space weather, which is what's going on with the sun and between the sun and the earth.

So, I'm aware that right now, the earth is in a magnetic storm and it may be affecting power lines right now. It may be affecting satellites right now.

And I think as we start traveling in space hopefully, we're going to really need to know about space weather...this invisible weather we can't see or feel on earth, but indeed it's going on out there. And it's wild and it's stormy at times and it's calm at other times. It's just like weather here on earth."

Thanks go to producer Barrett Golding. Our show is underwritten by Subaru and supported by the National Science Foundation.