Storms in Space

Description

Storms in Space is the story of the mysterious region between Earth and the Sun, where violent storms rage unseen by human eyes. Disruption of spacecraft and satellites, television transmission failures and power blackouts are just a few of the effects of this powerful force of nature, caused by the charged particles and electromagnetic fields that dominate space. This is a highly readable synopsis of man's current understanding of the space environment. The book discusses the similarities between storms on Earth and in space, and goes on to describe the causes and effects of space storms, and how they can be monitored by satellites and from observatories on Earth. The forecasting of space storms is presented, along with prospects for improved models in the future. This clear and engaging book will be valuable to space scientists, physicists, astronomers and anyone with an interest in understanding the phenomenon of space weather.

John Freeman is Professor Emeritus and Research Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Rice University, Houston, Texas. His primary research interests include computer modelling of the Earth's magnetosphere for space weather specification and prediction, neural networks and other artificial intelligence applications to forecasting geophysical parameters. Professor Freeman has directed a number of satellite instrumentation projects, and has been awarded the NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement for his work with the Apollo Program.

'... a very readable account of space weather storms and their effects.' Dr David Boteler, Episode '[John Freeman] has taken the rather esoteric topic of the plasma weather in our near-space environment and presented it in a gripping and easily understandable fashion. ... Storms in Space works on many levels. It is an engaging, well-illustrated, eminently readable layman's introduction to this important aspect of solar-terrestrial relations.' David W. Hughes, Times Higher Education Supplement