Bøker av Sten Odenwald

This book covers the history and science behind solar storms and space weather and how it has impacted human technology and thinking since the time of the ancient Babylonians. Using newspaper accounts and historical records, the many ways that space weather have impacted humans is explored from first-hand accounts. Also, the science behind space weather is explored starting with the birth of our sun, through modern supercomputer modeling of the Space Age. Space weather begins below the surface of our sun and through solar flares, coronal mass ejections and the solar wind, washes ashore many diverse phenomena on our planet. Solar storms cause electrical power outages, satellite failures, shortwave radio interference and enhanced radiation doses to passengers on jets as well as astronauts working in space. This book begins with ancient reports of gods batteling in the skies, and advances to telegraph interruptions in the 1800's described my numerous newspaper reports. Then in the 20th century we see radio broadcast interference, incidents during World War II and the Vietnam War, as well as a growing list of satellite malfunctions during the space age. Meanwhile, scientific knowledge grows by leaps and bounds as astronmers discover the sunspot cycle, and powerful telescopes begin to monitor the sun on the ground and in space to stay ahead of the sun's stormy weather. Today, the news media carry routine reports of impending storms and enterprising social media broadcasters give us up-to-the-minute detailed scientific reports of what to expect. Science continues to advance as powerful physics-based models are being run on supercomputers to anticipate the shape of the next sunspot cycle and how storm clouds spotted on the sun, may travel to Earth in the ensuing days to rock-and-roll our technology and even our psyches! Among its 370 pages, the book includes 296 B/W and full-color illustrations, hundreds of newspaper headlines, and extensive scientific background information describing all aspects of the human impacts of space weather. Also included is a chapter on DIY space weather forecasting in which you can download apps to your smartphone to monitor space weather, build your own magnetic storm detectors, or join citizen science groups where thousands of enthusiasts help scientists understand space weather even better.

An accessible guide to one of the most significant subjects in modern science.

On March 13, 1989, the entire Quebec power grid collapsed, automatic garage doors in California suburbs began to open and close without apparent reason, and microchip production came to a halt in the Northeast; in space, communications satellites had to be manually repointed after flipping upside down, and pressure readings on hydrogen tank supplies on board the Space Shuttle Discovery peaked, causing NASA to consider aborting the mission. What was the cause of all these seemingly disparate events? Sten Odenwald gives convincing evidence of the mischievous-and potentially catastrophic-power of solar storms and the far-reaching effects of the coming "e;big one"e; brewing in the sun and estimated to culminate in the twenty-third cycle in the year 2001 and beyond. When the sun undergoes its cyclic "e;solar maximum,"e; a time when fierce solar flares and storms erupt, fantastic auroras will be seen around the world. But the breathtaking spectacles will herald a potentially disastrous chain of events that merit greater preparation than Y2K. Is anyone listening?The 23rd Cycle traces the previously untold history of solar storms and the ways in which they were perceived by astronomers-and even occasionally covered up by satellite companies. Punctuated with an insert containing dramatic color images showing the erupting sun, the book also includes a history of the record of auroral sightings, accounts of communications blackouts from the twentieth century, a list of industries sensitive to solar storms, and information about radiation and health issues.

By a NASA educator, this photo treasury presents 100 eclectic objects - from Stonehenge to Sputnik - and explains their significance to the history of space exploration.