Space Weather Explored at BCCC

Not that long ago, she was studying at Council Rock High School, gaining the love of physics that now drives her.

For former Newtown resident Anna DeJong, who holds a PhD in space science from the University of Michigan, Thursday night was a homecoming of sorts.

In front of an audience of physics students and old friends, DeJong spoke at about her life’s work: studying sun-Earth connections -- better known as space weather -- and the magnetosphere of Saturn. She explained to the audience why this is important even to the non-scientist.

DeJong currently works for the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. Her visit was part of NASA’s Outer Planets Colloquium Series, which aims to send its scientists to two-or-four-year colleges to present on their areas of expertise.

For those of us not as well-versed in physics, the general premise behind DeJong's study of sun-Earth connections is to explore solar winds, which lead to spectacles like Aurora Borealis or the Northern Lights, and how to predict them.

Solar winds and geomagnetic storms unfortunately don't always result in brilliant light shows. For one, a strong storm has the ability to interrupt cell phone service, wireless devices and even power to homes, DeJong explained.

But, it could also cause more series problems, such as corrosion of oil pipelines or satellites and exposure to harmful radiation for astronauts and even people flying over the North or South Pole, like many Pacific-bound flights do.

The magnetosphere, caused by solar wind flowing around Earth’s magnetic field, is something that is being studied by agencies like the Department of Defense.

After all, satellites control many of the missiles fired from U.S. ships, including the ones being utilized in the current conflict in Libya, DeJong said. A solar storm could slow the satellite’s ability to communicate, resulting in potentially tragic inaccuracies.

There is even a history of events like this, including a disruption of beeper services in the 1990s that affected New York City. The systems in place to predict them in time are in need of further advancements so as to prevent damage and possible harm, DeJong said.

“When we know something’s coming, we can protect our satellites by turning them off,” said DeJong. "We can’t turn off our astronauts.”

DeJong thinks everyone should be invested in knowing at least something about sun-Earth connections.

“What we do is extremely relevant when we talk about the technical aspect,” DeJong said.

BCCC faculty were pleased that DeJong came back to Newtown to share her expertise.

“I’m a firm believer that the public needs to know more about science," said Robert Welsh, assistant professor of physics and astronomy at the college.

And DeJong said she enjoyed her time back in Pennsylvania.

“It’s been fun. It’s been interesting,” she said. “But it’s actually amazing how much has stayed the same.

Her Earth-Sun research is funded by the National Science Foundation, while her work on Saturn’s Magnetosphere is funded by NASA. It includes examining the breakthrough discovery of water on Enceladus, one of the planet’s moons.

“It is probably one of the greatest scientific finds, at least planet wise, in a long time,” said DeJong of Enceladus’ water. “It was completely unexpected.”

DeJong encourages anyone interested in learning more about her or other studies on Earth’s magnetosphere and solar storms to visit www.nasa.gov or www.spaceweather.com.