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South Pole Neutron Detectors Given New Role in Predicting Space Weather
sciencehabit writes "A team of researchers has found a way to forecast the intensity of solar storms by monitoring neutron sensors at the South Pole. The approach could help give advanced warning to astronauts and satellites, which would otherwise be irradiated and fried, respectively. Smaller versions of these sensors could one day be standard equipment on interplanetary spacecraft."
Neutrino detectors?
In other news, scientists have developed software which allows detection of incorrect spelling, which involves neither sattelites nor satellites.
UD Bartol Neutron Monitor program. http://neutronm.bartol.udel.edu/Welcome.html
Detects high energy neutrons produced by high-speed protons colliding with the Earth's upper atmosphere. TFA is that they have figured out the specific signal for high-energy solar flares.
(Last 30 days.)
Science is all about firing a drunk pig out of a cannon just to see what happens.
The approach could help give advanced warning to astronauts and sattelites, which would otherwise be irradiated and fried, respectively.
"Sattelites"? "Irradiated and fried, respectively" like meat? Respective of what? Timothy, please take some free advice: If the editorial duties of /. are becoming too much of a burden for you, please, for the love of <deity_of_your_choice>, share the responsibility. I couldn't help but notice that the last 25 submissions were "edited" by you. Is this now the Timothy Show? Are there no other editors with /. that can provide its readership with a variety of submissions?
And in case you're thinking that I'm jealous, Timothy, I promise you that is not the case. My ID might not be 4 digits, but I've been a faithful reader for the past 16 years, and I find myself slowly slipping away from /. due to your sloppy editorial practices and uninspired editorial selections. The problem here, Timothy, is that while I might be one person, as a teacher I influence hundreds of students, and they in turn influence many. I cannot in all conscience continue to offer up /. as a paragon of IT news so long as you are still given free run of the office. Really, where are the other editors? Are you not willing to share the duties?
After all, solar storms can knock the 'ell out of satellites.
Have gnu, will travel.
Great idea, because they've totally mastered predicting the weather here on earth...
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Why is it hard to accurately detect high energy protons? They're charged; they must leave a huge wake of ionized particles behind them. Is it just that they are so energetic the detectors have to be huge? I'm sure the neutron detectors are actually detecting secondary (charged) particles from neutron interactions, meaning the polar detectors are "tertiary" (protons --> neutrons --> more charged particles).