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NASA Scientist to Discuss ‘The Upper Atmosphere: Where Space Weather Meets Earth Weather’ at Library of Congress Lecture

The headshot image of NASA

NASA

May 31, 2018
RELEASE18-09

The public is invited to a free talk called ‘ The Upper Atmosphere: Where Space Weather Meets Earth Weather,’ with Dr. Sarah Jones in the Pickford Theater, third floor, Madison Building, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., on June 7 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EDT.

GOLD is a new NASA science mission that launches in January 2018 to explore Earth’s interface to space! Credits: NASA Goddard
Sarah Jones
Dr. Sarah Jones is a research astrophysicist at the Space Weather Laboratory,NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Credits: NASA

Jones is a speaker in the 2018 NASA Goddard Lectures Series at the Library of Congress. Jones is a research astrophysicist at the Space Weather Laboratory, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.  

At the boundary between Earth and space, charged particles and fields co-exist with Earth’s neutral atmosphere and cause a continual tug of war between the neutral and ionized gases. This region is buffeted by Earth weather from below and the Sun’s radiation from above, making it a complicated place. Events like hurricanes can create waves that travel all the way up to this region, while the Sun frequently releases blasts of solar material that can impact at the same time. This changes the shape of the very boundary between Earth and space and can garble some of the signals being transmitted from our satellites.

Dr. Sarah Jones will help us untangle the processes at play in this region and share how two of NASA’s newest missions, GOLD and ICON, aim to determine just how weather shapes our interface to space.

The Library of Congress maintains one of the largest and most diverse collections of scientific and technical information in the world. The Science, Technology and Business Division provides reference and bibliographic services and develops the general collections of the library in all areas of science, technology, business and economics.
The Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution and the largest library in the world and holds nearly 151.8 million items in various languages, disciplines and formats. The library serves Congress and the nation both on-site in its reading rooms on Capitol Hill and through its award-winning website.

Learn about the features of the ionosphere! This little-explored region exists between space and Earth. It is home to the aurora, the international space station, a variety of satellites, and radio communication waves. We know it is sensitive to weather from Earth and conditions in space, called space weather. Join us as we venture to this interface to space! Credits: NASA Goddard

For inquiries about this or upcoming talks at the Library of Congress, the public can contact the library’s Science, Technology and Business Division at 202-707-5664. ADA accommodations should be requested five business days in advance at 202-707-6382 (voice/tty) or ada@loc.gov.

The lecture will be later broadcast on the library’s webcast page and YouTube channel “Topics in Science” playlist.

For more information contact Stephanie Marcus at 202-707-1212 or smar@loc.gov or visit: http://blogs.loc.gov/inside_adams/

For directions, visit: http://www.loc.gov/visit/maps-and-floor-plans/

For more information about the ICON mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/icon

For more information about the GOLD mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/gold    

Rob Gutro / Lora Bleacher
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
301-286-0697 / 2009
Robert.j.gutro@nasa.gov / Lora.v.bleacher@nasa.gov