Related module pages:
A Public Outreach Module:
Solar Wind, Genesis, and the Planets
How does the Solar Max affect the Genesis spacecraft?
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To see solar wind data from the Genesis spacecraft, click on: http://genesis.lanl.gov/plots/test/mec/1day/
On this screen you can click on any date to see: the last shock date; a graph indicating the type of solar wind regime being recorded by the Genesis collectors—slow, fast, CME, or unknown—and the speed of the solar wind in km/sec; a temperature graph (in K); and, a density graph (cm-3) all plotted against time of day on horizontal axis at bottom of screen. |
Genesis scientists predicted that flying during Solar Max would result in collecting more CME and coronal hole wind. During periods of low solar activity, a very fast type of solar wind flows from relatively stationary "coronal holes" over the north and south poles of the sun. During Solar Max, smaller coronal holes occur at various latitudes of the sun, so this type of wind is encountered more often by Genesis and other satellites near the Earth. This is good, because this type of solar wind is thought to be the closest to the actual solar composition.
By examining the data at the site provided for one or two days prior to and following the date of the last shock, you will see the changes in these three solar wind properties during an energetic particle event. For an example, access the data for August 14 through 20, 2002. During this period of time, the Genesis spacecraft registered two CME shocks. Examine closely the changes in speed, temperature, density, and the erratic He/H ratio of the wind.
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For a more technical description, take a Closer Look at
The Structured Sun and Solar Max: At the Core of the Matter.
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