Chapter 33 33. Silent Storm Area

(Excerpt from the lecture given by Professor Martin Sasuyi at the acceptance ceremony of the Nobel Prize in Physics. Stockholm, December 16, 2154) Between the sky and the earth, there is an invisible vast area.The existence of this region is beyond the expectations of ancient philosophers.It was only at the beginning of the twentieth century, on December 12, 1901, that it had its first impact on the cause of mankind. On this very day, Cuir Ilmer-Marconi radioed three "dots"—the letter S in the Morse alphabet—across the Atlantic.Prior to this, many scholars have asserted that this is impossible. The reason is that electromagnetic waves can only propagate along a straight line, and cannot travel around the earth. Marconi's achievements not only announced the beginning of the era of long-distance radio communication, At the same time, it also shows that there is an "electron mirror" that can reflect radio waves high in the atmosphere.

It is now clear that this region, which was first called the Heidegger layer (Kennelly-Heaviside layer), is composed of at least three basic layers, and their heights and strengths vary greatly. Big.Higher than it is the Van-Alun radiation belt, and their discovery is the first scientific triumph of the Cosmic Era. This vast region begins at an altitude of about fifty kilometers and extends upward into space several Earth radii away; this region is called the ionosphere.It has been studied by rockets, satellites and radar for more than two centuries.We cannot fail to mention the pioneers who have made outstanding contributions in this field: the Americans Chow and Brett, the British Eppleton, the Norwegian Stollmeer, and especially the The man who received in 2001 the prize that I am also honored to receive today - your compatriot Hannes-Alfvin... the ionosphere - is the sun's mischievous child; even today it is not always predictable of.

Over the course of a hundred or so years before the advent of the communications satellite, it was an invaluable, yet fickle servant of ours.It has saved lives when long-distance radio communication depended entirely on its "mood," but many have died as it devoured their desperate distress calls without leaving a trace. It was not so long ago that the ionosphere served civilized humans.However, without it, there may not be human beings!Because the ionosphere is - part of - the Earth's special "shield" - the very shield that keeps us safe from the sun's deadly ray and ultraviolet radiation.If these rays could reach the surface of the sea, then some forms of life may also appear on the earth, but they will never develop to have the slightest resemblance to us today...

Since the ionosphere, like the atmosphere below it, is ultimately governed by the sun, it also has its own "weather."When an eruption suddenly occurs on the sun, various storms will be set off in the ionosphere.At this point, it is no longer invisible: the flaming aurora, which will illuminate the cold polar night as bright as day with a thrilling glow... Until now, we have not been able to understand all the processes taking place in the ionosphere.The instruments we install on various rockets and satellites travel through the ionosphere at a speed of thousands of kilometers per hour.We have not at all been able to stay in the ionosphere and observe quietly; only space orbital towers have made it possible for us to establish some fixed observatories in the ionosphere.Of course, the possibility that the space orbital tower will slightly change the characteristics of the ionosphere cannot be ruled out, however, contrary to Dr. Bickerstaff's assertion, it will never be short-circuited in any case!

However, since the ionosphere has lost its meaning to communication work due to the appearance of communication satellites, why should it be studied?Here's the problem: The state of the ionosphere is intimately linked to that of the sun, master of our destiny.We now know that the sun is by no means a benign planet, as our predecessors supposed it to be; on the contrary, it is constantly undergoing long and short perturbations.Until now it is still recovering from the period of minimum depression between 1645-1715; the climate is therefore milder than it has been at any time since the beginning of the Middle Ages.But how long will this upswing last?When will a new, inevitable recession in solar activity begin?What effect would it have on the climate and the fate of civilizations, not only on Earth, but even on other planets?You know, they are all children of the sun...

Some theorists believe that now that the sun has entered a period of instability, it may lead to a new ice age, which will be longer and more extensive than any ice age that has occurred in history.If this view is correct, then we need to have all the information we can get about the sun.Even if it were possible to sound the alarm a century in advance, it may be too late. The ionosphere gave rise to life; it revolutionized radio communications; and it can tell us about our future.That is why we must continue to study this vast arena where the forces of the sun and electricity contend—the mysterious, silent storm region.