|| November 19: 2018: UCL News || ά. A close study of auroras has showed new ways of understanding the physics of explosive energy releases in space, according to new UCL-led research. Auroras are an incredible light show, caused by electrically charged particles in near-Earth space spiralling down Earth’s magnetic field and colliding with gases in the atmosphere, causing them to glow. They are, also, an obvious sign of physical processes in space, acting like TV screens by showing what happens millions of kilometres away from Earth, where our planet’s magnetic field stretches into a long tail facing away from the Sun.

For the study, published in Nature Communications, the research team from UCL and the University of Reading, led by Dr Nadine Kalmoni, remotely observed rapidly evolving aurora to understand the physics behind why, when and how energy was  released as the source of the aurora explosively reconfigures. “Somewhere in the huge volume of space into which Earth’s magnetosphere stretches, this energy release occurs via instability, which is really hard to pinpoint. They cause sub-storms whereby charged particles surf into the Earth’s atmosphere on electromagnetic waves, releasing large amounts of energy and lighting up the aurora.” said the Study Co-author Dr Jonathan Rae, UCL Space and Climate Physics.

“By studying auroras closely, we can map back to where in space the instabilities are occurring and study the physics, that cause them. It’s much more efficient than trying to observe vast areas of space.”

The researchers scanned a large portion of the sky and found the perfect sub-storm located over Poker Flats in Alaska on September 18, 2012. By using new data from the Multi-spectral Observatory Of Sensitive EM-CCDs:MOOSE camera, they tracked the aurora as it moved towards the northern pole over a four minute period.

This is a relatively long time for this type of aurora to be studied, allowing the scientists to collect a wealth of data. The information was, then, analysed for specific patterns, that gave important physical clues to the aurora’s formation in space and time. The aurora began as a line of ‘auroral beads’ along an arc, which grew exponentially in brightness and size. These growing ripples are a hallmark of an instability in space.

By comparing these detailed characteristics from the aurora with advanced theory, the researchers could narrow down the area of space, where the instability most likely is.   “We’ve shown that it’s possible to only study aurora to find out where instabilities are in space, which has not been done before.” said Co-author Dr Colin Forsyth, UCL Space and Climate Physics.

“Our method allows us to predict what the instability is and where it is in space. In fact, the region we’ve identified is incredibly small in space terms, only, a small fraction of the volume of the Earth and, we hope to study it in more detail using spacecraft, that pass through the area.”

Until now, scientists have been able to describe aurora and high energy events, that occur on the Sun and other planets within the solar system but this is the first time real physical analysis has been done.  “Importantly, our work has given scientists more physics to work with. A whole range of theoretical models can be tested and refined based on the physical characteristics we’ve captured.” said Co-author Dr Clare Watt, University of Reading.

“What we’ve reported has eluded scientists since auroras were first described in the 1960s and while we use Earth as our closest laboratory, the findings will apply to other events elsewhere in the solar system. We now look forward to pinpointing this epicentre in space and finding out what makes it unstable.” said Dr Rae.:::ω. 

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The Aurora Uranus

|| November 05: 2018 || ά. On the first day of the 15th annual European Space Weather Week, this image from the NASA:ESA Hubble Space Telescope fittingly shows a striking occurrence of celestial weather in the outer reaches of the Solar System: an aurora on Uranus. Auroras, also, known as polar lights, are a relatively familiar type of space weather to Earth-based stargazers but have, also, been spied on many other planets in the Solar System. Views of the Earth’s Northern and Southern Lights show glowing sheets and rippling waves of bright light painting the sky in striking shades of green and even red, blue and purple.

These breath-taking scenes are created as streams of energetic charged particles hit the upper layers of Earth’s atmosphere at altitudes of up to a few hundreds of kilometres, and interact with resident atoms and molecules of mostly oxygen and nitrogen. These emit photons at specific visible wavelengths or colours, green and red for oxygen, blue and purple for nitrogen and fill the sky with an eerie auroral glow. Hubble has observed auroras on Uranus on various occasions: in 2011, when the telescope became the first to image the phenomenon from the vicinity of Earth, then, again in 2012 and 2014, taking extra data beyond visible light.

By pointing Hubble’s ultraviolet eye on Uranus twice during the same month, from November 01 to 05 and 22 to 24, 2014, scientists were able to determine that the planet’s glimmering auroras rotate along with the planet. The observations, also, helped to locate Uranus’ magnetic poles and allowed scientists to track two so-called interplanetary shocks, that propagated through the Solar System.

These shocks were triggered by two powerful bursts of material flung out by the Sun via the solar wind, an ongoing flow of charged particles constantly emanating from our star and caused the most intense auroras ever seen on Uranus.

This image, originally published in 2017, shows the auroras as wispy patches of white against the planet’s azure blue disc and combines optical and ultraviolet observations from Hubble with archive data from NASA’s Voyager Two probe. Voyager Two was the first and only craft to visit the outermost planets in the Solar System; it flew past Uranus in January 1986 and past Neptune in August 1989.

These icy planets have not been visited since. NASA and ESA have been studying a possible joint mission, that would target the two ice giant planets in order to explore their intriguing role in our planetary system.

European Space Weather Week runs from November 05 to 09 and brings together engineers, scientists, specialists and professionals from across the continent in order to exchange news, ideas and strategies on space weather and protecting Earth’s cosmic environment.

Caption: Image: ESA:Hubble:NASA:L. Lamy:Observatoire de Paris:::ω.

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Regine Humanics Foundation Begins Its Journey Today: The Humanion Is Now A Regine Humanics Foundation Publication

 

 

|| April 06: 2018 || ά. The Humanion was first published on September 24, 2015 and has been run, since that day, on a complete voluntary basis without any 'formal' or 'constituted' manner or form and, it was run on as a Human Enterprise, which is an idea of Humanics, in which, ownership is replaced by belongingship and, thus, in a Humanical Society, no one owns anything but everyone belongs to the whole as the whole belongs to everyone lawfully and equally and, it neither believes in nor makes money but human utilities, needs, aspirations, creativity, imagination and dreams are served without money, where everyone works and creates for all others as all others create and work for all others, thus, bringing in meaning and purpose to life along with it come natural justice, equality and liberty, that establish a true civilisation within the Rule of Law. And in one word, this system of human affairs management is called, Humanics and a society that runs itself in humanics is called a humanical society. Today, we have begun the process of 'constituting' this Human Enterprise, which does not exist in the current system, but the next closest thing to it, that exists in the UK Law is Social Enterprise. Therefore, today, Friday, April 06, 2018, we are beginning Regine Humanics Foundation, that is the 'Agency', that will lead, run, manage and develop everything, that The Humanion has been trying to do.

Regine Humanics Foundation is established by the Thinker, Author, Poet, Novelist, Playwright, Editor of The Humanion, Festival Director of London Poetry Festival and a Humanicsxian: hu: maa: neek: tian: One, that believes in, lives and exists by Humanics, Mr Munayem Mayenin, of London, England, United Kingdom. Mr Mayenin says, ''Humanics is a vision; people, may, call it, utopia, we, call it our Humanicsovicsopia; Humanics. Humanics is our philosophy, our faith, our conviction, our resolution, our way of existing, thinking, being and doing: to seek and try to do so in the determination that all we must do and be is to exist to advance the human condition. People, readers and agencies and organisations, from all across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and the whole of the United Kingdom and Australasia, Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America, from all walks and strata of life, have supported our endeavours, supported The Humanion and The Humanion Team, who volunteered their time to run things, since the beginning of The Humanion and long before that, when other things, that are now part of The Foundation, were developing. Nothing has changed in terms of the nature and value of what we have been seeking to do.''

''But the founding of The Foundation brings it all in a solid foundation so that we can keep on building this 'vision' so that it keeps on going regardless of who come to take the vision-mission of The Foundation forward. The Foundation runs along with time and along with the flowing humanity. This is the dream, this is the vision, this the hope in founding this Foundation. And, in this, we hope and invite all our readers, supporters, well wishers and all agencies and organisations to support our endeavours to build something, a Human Enterprise, which we are in the process of registering as a Social Enterprise, as a Community Interest Company, working for the common good of the one and common humanity. No one makes or takes profit out of The Foundation, which now runs The Humanion and everything else, that is part of it. The Foundation, once registered, will have an Asset Lock, which means that in any event, should The Foundation dissolve itself, all its existing assets shall go to a similar Social Enterprise. Therefore, we invite everyone to support The Foundation, support The Humanion in whatever way they can. And, there are endless number of ways people and organisations can support The Foundation and The Humanion.'' ::: ω.

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Cosmic Opportunity for Radiation Research at the European Space Agency

Image: ESA:ATG Media Lab

 

|| August 16: 2017 || ά. Cosmic radiation is considered the main health hazard to human spaceflight and space exploration of the Moon, Mars and beyond, which is why ESA has made cosmic radiation a focus of its research programme. Radiation poses a risk to the human body in the form of cancer, central nervous system disorders, cardiovascular problems and tissue degeneration. Beyond Earth’s magnetic field, its full force is a barrier to human exploration of the Solar System.

“Crewmembers, may be, exposed to different doses and qualities of radiation, threatening life quality and individual survivability, thereby, disrupting mission success.” explains Ms Jennifer Ngo-Anh, Head of Human Research at ESA. “This creates a need for investigations into biological effects of space radiation, in order to allow more accurate risk assessments, which in turn, leads to more accurate planning of countermeasures.”

Spacecraft and spacesuits are lined with protective materials that reduce radiation exposure to within acceptable limits. The challenge is in defining this limit for spaceflight beyond low Earth orbit. Researchers need to understand the full biological effects of cosmic rays to accurately calculate how much cosmic radiation exposure humans can safely withstand.

To address these issues, ESA has announced an opportunity to investigate the biological effects of space radiation at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research. Located in Darmstadt, Germany, GSI has collaborated with ESA on the use of its high-energy accelerator since 2007.

Proposed experiments should contribute to improving the risk assessments of cosmic radiation exposure or to studying countermeasures on cells to allow safe and stable human space exploration.

Results of such experiments will, also, have application for life on Earth: though well protected, humans are not altogether immune from radiation exposure. Data from these studies inform us of risks of radiation exposure on Earth, as well as, improve radiation therapy for cancer treatment. ω.

Whatever Your Field of Work and Wherever in the World You are, Please, Make a Choice to Do All You Can to Seek and Demand the End of Death Penalty For It is Your Business What is Done in Your Name. The Law That Makes Humans Take Part in Taking Human Lives and That Permits and Kills Human Lives is No Law. It is the Rule of the Jungle Where Law Does Not Exist. The Humanion

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