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Eugene Parker Biography/Bibliography

Letts 1

Olivia Letts

Mr. Percival

D.E. Astronomy, Per. 3

21 May 2013

Eugene Parker and his Intellectual Contributions

            As a respected solar astrophysicist, Eugene Parker is best known for his contributions regarding theories on the characteristics and origins of solar winds, the heliosphere (the magnetic bubble predominated by the sun which includes the solar system), and Earth’s magnetic field.  Parker, still alive today, was born in 1927 in Houghton, Michigan.  Physics captured his heart at a very young age, and by high school, he was bent on turning it into his career path as he had always had a powerful curiosity about why things do what they do.  He received his B.S. degree in physics from Michigan State University and a Ph.D from Caltech in 1951.  From 1951 to 1958, he held many positions at the University of Utah in the physics, astrophysics and astronomy departments.  From 1955 onward to the present day, he has been a professor at the University of Chicago, where he has conducted his most important research and continues to do so.  His discovery of solar wind, a flow of plasma extending into space at speeds of 200 to 600 miles per second, forever changed astronomy.  Until Parker’s recognition of this ineluctable physical presence in 1958, solar wind had repeatedly eluded known science.  Scientists had simply regarded interstellar space as  a vacuum; it did not occur to most that a stiff wind filled it with ionized gas.  In publishing his theory, Parker made calculations and explained how the solar corona expands to the outer reaches of the solar system, and this became an intellectual building block for the realm of astrophysics.  He showed that although the Sun’s corona is attracted to the Sun due to the presence of solar gravity, it is such an impressive conductor of heat that at very large distances from the Sun, its outer atmosphere escapes into interstellar space as gravity

Letts 2

weakens. Parker began delving into the matter partially because of Sydney Chapman’s model of

a hot gas that must extend into space and the comet tail blowing away from the Sun in Ludwig Biermann’s theory.  He connected them both to the same phenomenon, and his theory of solar wind was born.  At first his very strongly-written paper on it was rejected by two reviewers, but it was saved by the famous astrophysicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar.  Still, the idea about this intricate flow of particles from the Sun received a lot of criticism from the scientific community.  In the 1960s, the theory of solar wind was confirmed via direct satellite observations by the Soviet Union.  It helped explain many other different phenomena as a result, like the formation of distant stars, and geomagnetic storms.  Over four decades later, Parker received the distinguished 2003 Kyoto Prize for Lifetime Achievement for Basic Science.  He was incredibly important to the scientific community, as his many books, research papers, and memberships in advisory committees (especially the American Geophysical Union) denote.  He was elected in 1967 to the National Academy of Sciences.  His findings have enriched the study of interplanetary space; his book Cosmical Magnetic Fields has educated many on the effects of the magnetic fields of various bodies on X-ray emissions.  The American Geophysical Union gave Parker an award in 1990 for his research contributions, unselfish scientific involvement, and technical leadership, and in 1989 President George H.W. Bush awarded him the National Medal of Science.  In 2000 he reminded the scientific community about the erratic nature of the Sun with his article, expounding upon the challenges of applying laws and measurements of physics to its studies.  He wrote about the dangers posed by space radiation for future interplanetary missions.  Parker realizes that many fundamental questions have yet to be answered, such as what heats the corona to almost two million degrees Celsius.  He hopes that the new generation of space and ground-based telescopes can aid in finding the answers, especially in the study of the space between the sun and the edge of the solar system. 

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Bibliography

Roach, John. "Astrophysicist Recognized for Discovery of Solar Wind." National Geographic.

National Geographic Society, 27 Aug. 2003. Web. 20 May 2013.

<http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/08/0827_030827_kyotoprizeparker_2.html>.

Tatarewicz, Joseph M. "Eugene N. Parker." American Geophysical Union, n.d. Web. 20 May

2013. <http://www.agu.org/honorsprogram/bowie_lectures/parker.shtml>.

"Class of 1944- Eugene N. Parker." Royal Oak High School, n.d. Web. 20 May 2013.

<http://www.rohshalloffame.com/class-of/1944/parker-eugene-n.html>.

APOD 4.8: X-Class Solar Flares

On May 13, it had been observed that a group of sunspots collectively labeled AR1748 produced 2013's first four X-class solar flares, within 48 hours. Solar flares are ranked in order according to their peak brightness in X rays; the X-class solar flares are the most powerful class, often accompanied by coronal mass ejections (massive clouds of high-energy plasma ejected into space) as well. In the picture, clockwise from the time left, the time sequence of the solar flares displays the four flashes taken through extreme ultraviolet means in the Solar Dynamics Observatory. Coronal mass ejections from the first three flares were not directed toward Earth, but one that accompanied the fourth may have affected Earth's magnetic field on May 18. AR1748 caused temporary radio blackouts, and may produce more strong flares yet. This active region is rotating into a more direct view on the Sun's "nearside."

APOD 4.7: Clouds & Birds & Moon & Venus

The ethereal-looking photo, which seems nearly computer animated or photoshopped, was taken in 2010, in Spain. Venus and the crescent Moon appeared quite near each other, and during the sunset they were bright against a profoundly blue sky, almost enveloped by the darkly august storm clouds. Birds happened to be flying across the sky while the photo was taking, adding to the surreal appearance. As in many other scenarios however, the dramatic beauty was quite fleeting, as Venus and the Moon set in the sky. Venus will become visible again this May.

Zooniverse Hours Pt. 1

All in all thus far, I have spent about 3.5 hours on Zooniverse, documenting types/appearances of galaxies, and "exploring" the surface of the moon, which entailed labeling craters, boulders etc.

APOD 4.6: Supercell Thunderstorm

The image of what is called a supercell thunderstorm cloud looks like a giant portal in the sky that opened up to drop an ocean of water on that one spot west of Glasgow, Montana, USA. This was photographed last July and thankfully the storm did not really cause damage. It lasted several hours. Such storms are centered on a mesocyclone, a rotating updraft spanning a few kilometers, delivering torrential rains, high winds and tornadoes. On the edge of the supercell are jagged sculptured clouds while dust and rain come from the center.

APOD 4.5: Lunar Eclipses

The very pretty image depicts different sorts of lunar eclipses. The umbra's appearances are derived from images of both partial and total eclipses through its different parts. The images were collected from 1997 to 2011 in Voronezh, Russia with the same optics. The bottom and top are stages from 2006 and 2008 partial lunar eclipses; in the rightside bottom the Moon was entering the umbra (the inner shadow of planet Earth) for a 1997 total eclipse. The bottom shows the Moon leaving the umbra after 2004 totality, while middle right, center, and left are stages of a 2011 total eclipse (this encompasses the deep red phase in the center).