How are communications satellites effected by coronal mass injections, and why doesnt our magnetosphere do something about it?
by 
Chris
ANSWERS: 1
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Probably because they are Coronal Mass Ejections, not Injections...! ;-) Solar flares and associated Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) produce streams of highly energetic particles in the solar wind and the Earth's magnetosphere that can present radiation hazards to spacecraft and astronauts. The soft X-ray flux of X class flares increases the ionisation of the upper atmosphere, which can interfere with short-wave radio communication, and can increase the drag on low orbiting satellites, leading to orbital decay. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_flares#Hazards Another feature that distinguishes the Earth magnetically from a bar magnet is its magnetosphere. At large distances from the planet, this dominates the surface magnetic field. Electric currents induced in the ionosphere also generate magnetic fields. Such a field is always generated near where the atmosphere is closest to the Sun, causing daily alterations which can deflect surface magnetic fields by as much as one degree. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth's_magnetic_field
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