1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:07,040 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio, Hey brain Stuff, 2 00:00:07,080 --> 00:00:11,719 Speaker 1: Lauren Vogebaum. Here, high above the Earth's north pole, solar 3 00:00:11,760 --> 00:00:15,080 Speaker 1: winds whipped through the ion sphere in a gargantuan storm 4 00:00:15,160 --> 00:00:20,280 Speaker 1: that rained electric precipitation. The entire thing happened over several hours, 5 00:00:20,560 --> 00:00:23,639 Speaker 1: and satellites passing over the area were disrupted by the 6 00:00:23,720 --> 00:00:28,760 Speaker 1: unexpected changes in the geomagnetic field. Meanwhile, the world moved 7 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:32,199 Speaker 1: on below, unaware of the tumultuous events occurring at the 8 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:36,880 Speaker 1: edge of space. While this sounds like a great setup 9 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:39,720 Speaker 1: for your next science fiction binge on Netflix, it's a 10 00:00:39,760 --> 00:00:45,560 Speaker 1: real phenomenon, a space hurricane. After hypothesizing that such high 11 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:50,239 Speaker 1: atmospheric meteorology might be possible, scientists now have proof that 12 00:00:50,320 --> 00:00:55,120 Speaker 1: hurricanes occur in different levels of Earth's atmosphere. As reported 13 00:00:55,120 --> 00:01:00,120 Speaker 1: in the journal Nature Communications in February, scientists observed and 14 00:01:00,280 --> 00:01:03,800 Speaker 1: documented the first phenomenon of its kind, which they dubbed 15 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:08,360 Speaker 1: a space hurricane. But what exactly is that the space 16 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:11,160 Speaker 1: hurricanes have likely happened before in the history of our 17 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:14,280 Speaker 1: planet and will likely occur again, so it's helpful to 18 00:01:14,319 --> 00:01:16,800 Speaker 1: know what causes them and how similar they are to 19 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:22,120 Speaker 1: the lower atmosphere hurricanes that we know more about. According 20 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:24,920 Speaker 1: to the research published by a team of international scientists, 21 00:01:25,360 --> 00:01:31,319 Speaker 1: the first documented space hurricane occurred on August high in 22 00:01:31,360 --> 00:01:34,800 Speaker 1: the upper atmosphere. A spiral of plasma stretching more than 23 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:38,760 Speaker 1: six hundred miles that's a thousand kilometers across, swirled above 24 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:42,679 Speaker 1: the magnetic north pole for nearly eight hours while it 25 00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:46,639 Speaker 1: was invisible. To humanize weather, satellites were affected and tipped 26 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:51,480 Speaker 1: researchers off to the activity. It was observed way up 27 00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:54,440 Speaker 1: in the ionosphere was so called because it's the part 28 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:58,600 Speaker 1: of Earth's atmosphere that's ionized, a meaning it contains electrically 29 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:02,920 Speaker 1: charged particles. The ionosphere stretches across a few of the 30 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:06,840 Speaker 1: outermost levels of Earth's atmosphere, and though its boundaries shift 31 00:02:06,920 --> 00:02:09,919 Speaker 1: from day to day and season to season, it's generally 32 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:13,520 Speaker 1: from around fifty two four hundred miles up that's about 33 00:02:13,520 --> 00:02:17,919 Speaker 1: eighty two six hundred and fifty kilometers. Before the article 34 00:02:17,960 --> 00:02:20,320 Speaker 1: this episode is based on How Stuff Works, spoke with 35 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:24,600 Speaker 1: Brian Latta, an acuather meteorologist who specializes in astronomy and 36 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:30,120 Speaker 1: space coverage. He explained, like many space weather phenomena, charged 37 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:33,200 Speaker 1: particles from the Sun interacted with Earth's magnetic field to 38 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:37,360 Speaker 1: spark the space hurricane. This phenomenon is likely being called 39 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:40,240 Speaker 1: a hurricane due to the way it spins, similar to 40 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:43,800 Speaker 1: a tropical cyclone, since it was observed over the North Pole. 41 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:46,360 Speaker 1: I was a little surprised that they didn't nickname it 42 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:52,079 Speaker 1: a space vortex to match the viral weather term polar vortex. So, 43 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:55,160 Speaker 1: considering that they were given a shared name, space and 44 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:59,080 Speaker 1: Earth hurricanes must be similar right. In fact, they do 45 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:01,960 Speaker 1: have some aspects in common, but they're also quite different. 46 00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:05,120 Speaker 1: In addition to their shape, both have an eye at 47 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:08,760 Speaker 1: the center and arm bands of storm activity. Space and 48 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:12,680 Speaker 1: Earth hurricanes are similar in another important way. They both 49 00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:18,000 Speaker 1: have precipitation. Latta said. Hurricanes that we are familiar with 50 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:23,200 Speaker 1: have liquid precipitation rain, while space hurricanes have electric precipitation 51 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:27,960 Speaker 1: that can create stunning aurora. However, the aurora caused by 52 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:31,000 Speaker 1: the specific space hurricane may have gone unnoticed by people 53 00:03:31,080 --> 00:03:33,519 Speaker 1: on the ground as it occurred during the summer in 54 00:03:33,560 --> 00:03:36,480 Speaker 1: the northern Hemisphere, the worst time of year to look 55 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:41,280 Speaker 1: for aurora, since the days far outlast the nights. Here's 56 00:03:41,280 --> 00:03:43,320 Speaker 1: hoping the next one will occur during the winter months 57 00:03:43,320 --> 00:03:47,560 Speaker 1: so that we can enjoy the show. The biggest difference 58 00:03:47,560 --> 00:03:50,240 Speaker 1: between the two types of hurricanes is the altitudes at 59 00:03:50,240 --> 00:03:53,640 Speaker 1: which they occur. As I said earlier, space hurricanes can 60 00:03:53,680 --> 00:03:57,440 Speaker 1: be found dozens or hundreds of miles up in the ionosphere. 61 00:03:58,280 --> 00:04:02,200 Speaker 1: In contrast, normal hurrican haynes occur in the troposphere. That's 62 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:04,880 Speaker 1: where we live. It's the layer of Earth's atmosphere that 63 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:07,680 Speaker 1: stretches from the ground to just around five to nine 64 00:04:07,720 --> 00:04:11,280 Speaker 1: miles up. That's around eight to fourteen kilometers. The range 65 00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:14,640 Speaker 1: happens because different parts of the troposphere are thicker or 66 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:17,479 Speaker 1: thinner depending on where in the world you are. It's 67 00:04:17,560 --> 00:04:22,599 Speaker 1: the thinnest at the polls. So the space hurricane was, 68 00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:26,280 Speaker 1: you know, a lot closer to space. It was also 69 00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:29,680 Speaker 1: huge compared to an Earth hurricane, at more than six 70 00:04:29,760 --> 00:04:33,080 Speaker 1: hundred miles wide. That's roughly twice the average diameter of 71 00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:37,839 Speaker 1: hurricanes that happened in the troposphere. So what caused the 72 00:04:37,880 --> 00:04:41,320 Speaker 1: space hurricane. The scientists aren't quite sure yet, but there 73 00:04:41,360 --> 00:04:46,040 Speaker 1: are some theories. The main one concerns the electromagnetic conditions 74 00:04:46,080 --> 00:04:49,800 Speaker 1: in the Sun was at the maximum of its most 75 00:04:49,839 --> 00:04:52,680 Speaker 1: recent eleven year cycle in August was a time of 76 00:04:52,839 --> 00:04:57,039 Speaker 1: quote low solar and otherwise low geomagnetic activity. According to 77 00:04:57,080 --> 00:05:01,359 Speaker 1: the research published in Nature Communications, this low activity in 78 00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:06,200 Speaker 1: the ionosphere was likely similar to hurricane conducive conditions that 79 00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:11,080 Speaker 1: helped create hurricanes on Earth. Hous to Works also spoke 80 00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:15,240 Speaker 1: with ACU weather senior meteorologist and astronomy blogger David Samuel. 81 00:05:15,960 --> 00:05:19,719 Speaker 1: He said, it seems like it occurs when conditions are quiet. 82 00:05:20,160 --> 00:05:23,760 Speaker 1: There was very little geomagnetic activity and solar wind was low. 83 00:05:24,279 --> 00:05:28,240 Speaker 1: This reminds me of hurricanes. Hurricanes need light winds aloft, 84 00:05:28,440 --> 00:05:32,040 Speaker 1: so thunderstorms can form and rotate around a center without 85 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:34,720 Speaker 1: the strong winds aloft pulling them away from the center. 86 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:39,080 Speaker 1: Once the center gets established, the thunderstorms become stronger and 87 00:05:39,120 --> 00:05:42,680 Speaker 1: stronger and thus spin faster around the center until strong 88 00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:47,359 Speaker 1: winds aloft pull them apart. So it's likely that the 89 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:51,520 Speaker 1: right combination of high atmospheric conditions came together to allow 90 00:05:51,640 --> 00:05:55,039 Speaker 1: the space hurricane to form and to dissipate when those 91 00:05:55,080 --> 00:06:00,600 Speaker 1: conditions changed. But Earth hurricanes can cause lack of damage, 92 00:06:00,880 --> 00:06:06,000 Speaker 1: should we fear space hurricanes. According to LATA, space hurricanes 93 00:06:06,040 --> 00:06:09,800 Speaker 1: are mostly harmless, though it's possible we could experience the 94 00:06:09,839 --> 00:06:13,680 Speaker 1: effect of one on Earth. He explained, if strong enough, 95 00:06:13,760 --> 00:06:17,200 Speaker 1: a space hurricane could potentially cause some disruptions on the ground. 96 00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:20,640 Speaker 1: If there are enough charged particles raining down from space, 97 00:06:20,839 --> 00:06:24,440 Speaker 1: in addition to creating aurora, it could disrupt GPS signals, 98 00:06:24,520 --> 00:06:28,479 Speaker 1: radio waves, and in extreme cases, the power grid. However, 99 00:06:28,760 --> 00:06:31,279 Speaker 1: if this event only happens over the polls, then the 100 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:33,919 Speaker 1: number of power outages would be limited based on the 101 00:06:33,960 --> 00:06:39,440 Speaker 1: sparse population of the polar region. Having discovered this first one, 102 00:06:39,960 --> 00:06:43,400 Speaker 1: scientists will undoubtedly be trying to determine where and how 103 00:06:43,440 --> 00:06:47,400 Speaker 1: often space hurricanes occur, but it's likely that we don't 104 00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:49,920 Speaker 1: need to have too much concern about them compared with 105 00:06:49,960 --> 00:06:54,560 Speaker 1: their earthly counterparts. While scientists can't be sure when the 106 00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:58,080 Speaker 1: next space hurricane will occur, the next solar maximum will 107 00:06:58,120 --> 00:07:03,120 Speaker 1: likely occur in July five. This may create similar conditions 108 00:07:03,200 --> 00:07:07,240 Speaker 1: for another space hurricane. However, the sun cycles are flexible 109 00:07:07,600 --> 00:07:10,160 Speaker 1: and scientists may not become aware of the next space 110 00:07:10,240 --> 00:07:19,160 Speaker 1: hurricane until after it's already happened. Today's episode is based 111 00:07:19,200 --> 00:07:22,120 Speaker 1: on the article scientists detected a space hurricane for the 112 00:07:22,160 --> 00:07:25,280 Speaker 1: first time. What's That? On how Stuff Works dot Com, 113 00:07:25,280 --> 00:07:28,480 Speaker 1: written by Valerie Stymack. Brain Stuff is production by Heart 114 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:30,600 Speaker 1: Radio in partnership with how stuff works dot Com, and 115 00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:33,440 Speaker 1: it's produced by Tyler Klang. For more podcasts, it's my 116 00:07:33,480 --> 00:07:36,640 Speaker 1: heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or 117 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:38,280 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.