Public talk: Living on a magnetic planet 20 March
Living on a magnetic planet in the shadow of a variable star
About this event
Planet Earth can be regarded as a giant magnet. The Sun on the other hand is a variable star that changes on various time scales. Therefore, for all practical purposes we live on a giant magnet in the shadow of a star, the Sun. The most apparent cycle has a period of approximately 11 years, involving significant changes in the near-Earth space environment that can have a profound influence on our technologically developed and inter-connected society. Although the Sun is the sole provider of energy to the solar system and responsible for the formation and evolution of life, it can at times act as the silent assassin of modern technology during major geomagnetic storms e.g. during Halloween geomagnetic storm of 2003.
In this presentation I will discuss the cyclic appearance of sunspots, as well as at times the lack of this cyclic behaviour (e.g. during the Maunder minimum that lasted between 1634 and 1720), the role of Coronal Mass Ejections (CME’s), solar flares and coronal holes during the various phases of a solar cycle, responsible for geomagnetic storms. These measures of solar activity reflect the underlying physical driver of space weather – the solar dynamo and thus the magnetic field of the solar corona where the solar wind originates and its interaction with the Earth’s magnetic field.
Venue
Naval Hill, Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa
Refund policy
Following receipt of your booking cancellation or returned tickets, we will refund you the face value paid for the relevant tickets (or, if a discounted ticket, then instead the discounted ticket price paid), provided that reasonable cancellation charges as determined by the Event Organiser may be charged and deducted from such refund. Unless otherwise stipulated by the Event Organiser and depending on the prevailing circumstances the following cancellation charges may apply: - If the cancellation occurs more than 30 days prior to the event a 15% cancellation fee will apply; - If the cancellation occurs less than 30 but more than 7 days prior to the event a 50% cancellation fee will apply; - If the cancellation occurs less than 7 days prior to the event a 100% cancellation fee will apply; - Notwithstanding the aforesaid, if you can provide us with suitable documentary proof that a person in whose name a ticket was booked will not be able to attend the event because of his/her death and/or hospitalisation, no cancellation fee will apply in respect of the cancellation of such person's ticket.
Parking
Parking available at the venue