Worry As Solar Wind Slows Down To Lowest On Record

Friday, September 26, 2008

Today’s issue of The Australian ( http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24404399-30417,00.html ) offers a fear-mongering statement about the solar wind, as in, the particles that stream from our Sun.

The leading paragraph reads: “In what may be its scientific swan song, the nearly 18-year-old Ulysses spacecraft has sent home data showing the solar wind "blowing" from the sun has slowed to the lowest level ever recorded.”.

I have no doubt.

The closing paragraph reads: “"Ulysses data indicate the solar wind's global pressure is the lowest we have seen since the beginning of the space age," said Dr McComas who, along with colleagues, published details in the latest edition of Geophysical Research Letters.”

I have no doubt.

The beginning of the space age, for me, was on clear November night in 1956 or 1957, my mother rushing up to the scout hall urging us all outside to watch Sputnik. For you it might be a tad earlier, a tad later, but for now I’m going with fifty years.

50 years.

So the solar wind has slowed to down to the lowest in 50 years.

The solar system, I’m told, is about 4.6 billion years old.

50 years represents about 0.000,001,09%. I put the commas in there on purpose so you can more easily see how small a fraction of one hundredth that is.

To put this in human perspective (since our brains aren’t designed to comprehend astronomical numbers), I’ve been alive for just over 62 years, and 0.000,001,09% of my lifetime comes out to about 53 seconds.

If you were to tell me that my rate of income was the lowest in the past 53 seconds, I’d be inclined to agree with you. It’s late at night and I’m typing an essay, earning nothing.

“The lowest on record” has no significance when applied to solar or geological timescales.

Use of the phrase leads me to believe that the author is ignorant, or is trying to spear fear into the ignorant.

Neither state is admirable.

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