GEOG 001 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Aurora, Solar Wind, Solar Constant
30 Sep 2020
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Document Summary
Solar energy to earth and the seasons. Same as traveling around the earth"s equator 3,500 times. Closet to sun in the winter farthest from son in the summer. Fusion total energy received at the top of the atmosphere (thermosphere) This is the energy we receive at the top of our atmosphere. Hydrogen atoms forced together; pairs of hydrogen nuclei are fused forming helium; energy liberated. Sun constantly emitting electrically charged particles that move outward. Charged particles first interact with the magnetosphere. Earths magnetic field generated by dynamo-like motions . Magnetosphere deflects solar wind to the poles so only portions get within our planet through. Can affect radio broadcasts, satellite transmissions, electrical. Our eyes see wavelengths in the visible light portion of the spectrum. This is why we see things in different colors. A wavelength is the distance between corresponding points on two successive waves. The number of waves that pass a fixed point in 1 second is the frequency.
