Something a bit different......
On Tuesday morning I noticed a few strange blips on my magnetometer data. I've seen stuff before, but usually this could be explained by something local and terrestrial, like a passing tractor in the field next to my home taking in the yearly harvest, but this looked a little different. I checked on Intermagnet, which is a global network of magnetometers operated professionally, and it was immediately apparent that the effect I was seeing was a global phenomenon.
Checking with Tony Phillips of Spaceweather.com he pointed me to the following website which describes different pulsation phenomena that can occur within our geomagnetic environment http://roma2.rm.ingv.it/en/themes/22/ma ... pulsations. It turns out that I'd detected Pc5 waves. These are Ultra-Low Frequency (ULF) waves that resonate within Earth's magnetosphere at a cadence of up to 600s and are caused by the solar wind; a bit like blowing over the edge of a piece of paper and making a sound. They are weak and can best be detected under calm conditions. At least solar minimum is good for something....
Detecting these has been described like hearing a pin drop in a quiet room.
Anyhow, here are my data:
and a magnified view of the pulsations....
Thanks for looking.
Stu.
Pc5 Geomagnetic Pulsations
- Carbon60
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Pc5 Geomagnetic Pulsations
H-alpha, WL and Ca II K imaging kit for various image scales.
Fluxgate Magnetometers (1s and 150s Cadence).
Radio meteor detector.
More images at http://www.flickr.com/photos/solarcarbon60/
Fluxgate Magnetometers (1s and 150s Cadence).
Radio meteor detector.
More images at http://www.flickr.com/photos/solarcarbon60/
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