Catálogo de publicaciones - libros

The Sun is at the origin of the energy we receive, the very origin of life. We believe we know it well and yet it has only been a short time since we first became fully aware of its behavior! The first spectral studies to determine its chemical composition were carried out during the nineteenth century. In 1945, the appendix to the Manhattan project concerning the first atom bomb provided an explanation for the internal source of the Sun's energy. Finally, in 1995, the SOHO satellite (SOlar Heliospheric Observatory, ESA/NASA) was launched. Since then, findings have accumulated. So where do we go from here?

What effect will the solar wind and these electromagnetic waves have on the behavior of the Earth? Which phenomena also occur in a terrestrial environment? To answer these questions we need to know more about some of the characteristics of our planet.

Various attempts to explain the Aurora Borealis are at the origin of the discoveries concerning the ionized environment of our planet. The first magnetic measurements were taken by VON HUMBOLDT in 1805. It was he who first used the term “magnetic storm” to explain the perturbations of his measurements. Together with GAUSS, he was able to put forward an explanation for the terrestrial magnetic field. The first observation of a solar eruption was in 1859. R. CARRINGTON, a British astronomer, noted a magnetic storm followed about 18 hours later by auroras at a medium latitude. However, at the time it was impossible to say whether this was a coincidence or if there was a correlation.