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Earth versus Sun: a precarious relationship in space
Dr Jenny Carter, University of Leicester
The intimate, yet turbulent relationship between the Sun and Earth dominates space around our planet. We are familiar with one consequence of this interaction, through the spectacular displays of aurora, and other effects include currents induced in long distance cables, or the loss of signals and damage to spacecraft. Collectively, we term these effects `space weather’. Understanding this space weather is paramount for our technology-dependent society. In this talk, we will explore how our Earth is protected from the Sun’s solar wind by its magnetic field. We will follow how the Earth’s magnetic field gets buffered and altered, as the solar blows stronger, weaker, or changes direction. We will see how the SMILE spacecraft will soon revolutionise our view of near-Earth space by taking the first images of the solar-terrestrial interaction. Space near Earth is highly dynamic and volatile, and this drama is played right above our heads.
Dr Jenny Carter is a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin fellow in the Planetary Sciences group at the Department in Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester. She received her MSci in Physics with Astrophysics from University of Bristol in 2002, and her PhD in 2011 from Leicester. Jenny is heavily involved in preparations for the SMILE mission, which is due for launch in 2024. She is leading efforts to combine observations from ground and space-based experimentation in conjunction with SMILE. Jenny is an alumna of the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women In Science Rising Talents UK & Ireland physical sciences award 2020. She was awarded the Caroline Herschel Prize Lecture 2021. Jenny is also passionate about the public engagement of science and making science a part of everyone’s culture.
Book your FREE RAS March Public Lecture ticket