This image shows the auroral oval over the northern hemisphere. Click on image for full size (71K JPEG) Image courtesy L. Frank.

The study of space weather is a relatively young science. As such it has many unanswered questions and unsolved mysteries. Although some of our data relevant to space weather, such as sunspot counts, go back many years, most of knowledge of the field stems from recent times. Supercomputers, satellite-borne instruments, and telescopes capable of imaging the Sun in many different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum are recent developments, and each plays a large role in our developing understanding of solar science and space weather.

Here are a few of the unsolved mysteries related to space weather:

• Is there a connection between space weather and Earth weather?
• What causes the 11-year sunspot cycle?
• What caused the Maunder Minimum?
• Where does the heliosphere end? Is Voyager there yet?
• Why do Earth's magnetic poles move around?
• Why does the polarity of Earth's magnetic field flip, and why on such an irregular basis?
• Is the strength of Earth's magnetic field reduced when the poles flip, and, if so, does this expose life to higher doses of radiation? If so, why don't we see indications of this in the fossil record?

This image shows the auroral oval over the northern hemisphere. Click on image for full size (71K JPEG) Image courtesy L. Frank.

The study of space weather is a relatively young science. As such it has many unanswered questions and unsolved mysteries. Although some of our data relevant to space weather, such as sunspot counts, go back many years, most of knowledge of the field stems from recent times. Supercomputers, satellite-borne instruments, and telescopes capable of imaging the Sun in many different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum are recent developments, and each plays a large role in our developing understanding of solar science and space weather.

Here are a few of the unsolved mysteries related to space weather:

• Is there a connection between space weather and Earth weather?
• What causes the 11-year sunspot cycle?
• What caused the Maunder Minimum?
• Where does the heliosphere end? Is Voyager there yet?
• Why do Earth's magnetic poles move around?
• Why does the polarity of Earth's magnetic field flip, and why on such an irregular basis?
• Is the strength of Earth's magnetic field reduced when the poles flip, and, if so, does this expose life to higher doses of radiation? If so, why don't we see indications of this in the fossil record?

This image shows the auroral oval over the northern hemisphere. Click on image for full size (71K JPEG) Image courtesy L. Frank.

Space weather is a new science. It hasn't been studied for thousands of years. So space weather has many questions that still need to be answered. And it has a lot of unsolved mysteries which is exciting!

If you study space weather when you grow up, maybe you'll be able to answer some of these questions:

• Is there a connection between space weather and Earth weather?
• What causes the 11-year sunspot cycle?
• Where does the heliosphere end? Is Voyager there yet?
• Why do Earth's magnetic poles move around?