Cosmic Rays Hit Space Age High
NASA.gov
Sept 29, 2009
"We're experiencing the deepest solar minimum in nearly a century," says Dean Pesnell of the Goddard Space Flight Center, "so it is no surprise that cosmic rays are at record levels for the Space Age [i.e. past 50+ years or so -etl]."
Galactic cosmic rays come from outside the solar system. They are subatomic particles--mainly protons but also some heavy nuclei--accelerated to almost light speed by distant supernova explosions. Cosmic rays cause "air showers" of secondary particles when they hit Earth's atmosphere; they pose a health hazard to astronauts; and a single cosmic ray can disable a satellite if it hits an unlucky integrated circuit.
The sun's magnetic field is our first line of defense against these highly-charged, energetic particles. The entire solar system from Mercury to Pluto and beyond is surrounded by a bubble of magnetism called "the heliosphere." It springs from the sun's inner magnetic dynamo and is inflated to gargantuan proportions by the solar wind. When a cosmic ray tries to enter the solar system, it must fight through the heliosphere's outer layers; and if it makes it inside, there is a thicket of magnetic fields waiting to scatter and deflect the intruder.
An artist's concept of the heliosphere, a magnetic bubble that partially protects the solar system from cosmic rays.
"At times of low solar activity, this natural shielding is weakened, and more cosmic rays are able to reach the inner solar system," explains Pesnell."
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/29sep_cosmicrays.htm
“...accelerated to almost light speed by distant supernova explosions...”
Would we ever be able to detect particles moving faster than the SOL?
“The [(Danish) National Space] Institute is also investigating the connection between variations in solar activity and changes in the global average temperature. Solar activity directly influences the amount of cosmic radiation released through the Suns magnetic field and entering the Earths atmosphere, and the researchers are examining whether there is a connection between the flux of cosmic rays and the formation of clouds in the Earths atmosphere.”
http://www.space.dtu.dk/english/Research/Climate_and_Environment