Electroverse by Cap Allon March 15, 2020
In January 2020, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus, in partnership with the ever-excellent spaceweather.com, traveled to Abisko, Sweden to launch a pair of cosmic ray balloons.
The team are now back, and have some new results to share…
“We’d been there before, launching three identical balloons in March 2017,†writes team leader Dr Tony Phillips. “Putting all the data together (2017+2020) we find that radiation has increased +12% in the past 3 years:â€
The graph shows radiation dose rate (uGy/hr) vs. altitude (feet) all the way from ground level to the stratosphere, writes Dr Phillips. Radiation appears to be increasing at nearly all altitudes–even in the range 25,000 ft to 40,000 ft where airplanes fly — polar flight crews and passengers are therefore absorbing ~12% more cosmic radiation than they did only a few years ago.
So, what’s causing the increase?
The answer,
Solar Minimum. At the moment, the sun is near the bottom of the 11-year solar cycle. During Solar Minimum, the sun’s magnetic field weakens, allowing extra cosmic rays from deep space to penetrate the solar system. These cosmic rays are hitting Earth’s atmosphere, creating a spray of secondary cosmic rays that shower toward the ground below — secondary cosmic rays are what we measure.
More:
https://electroverse.net/cosmic-rays-up-12-in-just-3-years-implications/
