Current polarity of solar north magnetic pole?

I understand the solar magnetic field flips every 11 years. What is
the current polarity of the north solar pole - "north" or "south"?
Does the IMF current sheet move "away" or "toward" the north solar
pole? - Canopus56

canopus56 wrote:
I understand the solar magnetic field flips every 11 years. What is
the current polarity of the north solar pole - "north" or "south"?
Does the IMF current sheet move "away" or "toward" the north solar
pole? - Canopus56


See: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2...htm?list125479

Thanks, Sam. I saw that and another 2003 follow-up article -
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2...rrentsheet.htm

- but was still a little confused.

So, if the pre-2001 pole "flipped" from its 1995 solar minimum
orientation, then the current north solar pole is now has a negative
(normally south) polarity and the south pole is now positive (normally
north)?
See http://ulysses.jpl.nasa.gov/5UlsThemes3-4.pdf for the 1995
orientiation.

The negative field lines, I assume, is the "away" IMF sheet current and
the "positive" field line is the "toward" IMF sheet current?

Just trying to confirm.

- Canopus56

canopus56 wrote:
Thanks, Sam. I saw that and another 2003 follow-up article -
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2...rrentsheet.htm

- but was still a little confused.

So, if the pre-2001 pole "flipped" from its 1995 solar minimum
orientation, then the current north solar pole is now has a negative
(normally south) polarity and the south pole is now positive (normally
north)?
See http://ulysses.jpl.nasa.gov/5UlsThemes3-4.pdf for the 1995
orientiation.

The negative field lines, I assume, is the "away" IMF sheet current and
the "positive" field line is the "toward" IMF sheet current?

Just trying to confirm.

- Canopus56


Check: http://spaceweather.com/glossary/imf.html
Got to run to a meeting, back in a few hours.
-Sam

canopus56 wrote:
Thanks, Sam. I saw that and another 2003 follow-up article -
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2...rrentsheet.htm

- but was still a little confused.

So, if the pre-2001 pole "flipped" from its 1995 solar minimum
orientation, then the current north solar pole is now has a negative
(normally south) polarity and the south pole is now positive (normally
north)?
See http://ulysses.jpl.nasa.gov/5UlsThemes3-4.pdf for the 1995
orientiation.

The negative field lines, I assume, is the "away" IMF sheet current and
the "positive" field line is the "toward" IMF sheet current?

Just trying to confirm.

- Canopus56


From: http://spaceweather.com/
Bz: 0.9 nT south

B field in the Z direction of the solar system XYZ coordinate
system is currently south--meaning the Sun's north pole currently
has a south magnetic field.

-Sam

Sam Wormley wrote:
canopus56 wrote:

Thanks, Sam. I saw that and another 2003 follow-up article -
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2...rrentsheet.htm

- but was still a little confused.

So, if the pre-2001 pole "flipped" from its 1995 solar minimum
orientation, then the current north solar pole is now has a negative
(normally south) polarity and the south pole is now positive (normally
north)?
See http://ulysses.jpl.nasa.gov/5UlsThemes3-4.pdf for the 1995
orientiation.

The negative field lines, I assume, is the "away" IMF sheet current and
the "positive" field line is the "toward" IMF sheet current?

Just trying to confirm.
- Canopus56


From: http://spaceweather.com/
Bz: 0.9 nT south

B field in the Z direction of the solar system XYZ coordinate
system is currently south--meaning the Sun's north pole currently
has a south magnetic field.

-Sam

Let me clarify--Even though the Sun's north pole currently sporting
a south magnetic pole, the Bz (B sub z) figure from http://spaceweather.com/
represents the solar magnetic field in the "z" direction near the Earth,
which can fluctuate in intensity and direction.

There is another site that graphical shows Bz vs time, along with a lot
of other useful space weather related data.

See http://www.exploratorium.edu/spaceweather/index.html Go to the
Magnetosphere section and click on the graph.

They are giving out free posters (to U.S. residents) if you fill out a
survey prior to October 15.

Daniel Cervantes

wrote:
snip
See http://www.exploratorium.edu/spaceweather/index.html Go to the
Magnetosphere section and click on the graph.

Thanks, that is one of the best beginner space weather sites I've seen.
The links to real-time satellite feeds is really imaginative. -
Canopus56

Sam Wormley wrote:
Let me clarify--Even though the Sun's north pole currently sporting
a south magnetic pole, the Bz (B sub z) figure from
http://spaceweather.com/ represents the solar magnetic field in the
"z" direction near the Earth, which can fluctuate in intensity and
direction.

Thanks for the confirmation on the polarity of the solar north magnetic
pole, Sam.

(For lurkers) The interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) lines at solar
quiet conditions normally are disconnected magnetic field lines that
run parallel to the interplanetary current sheet (in the x,y plane of a
solar x,y,z coordinate system) and they are perpendicular to the N-S z
plane magnetic fields lines.
http://pluto.space.swri.edu/IMAGE/glossary/IMF.html
http://meted.ucar.edu/hao/aurora/fla...nvect_west.swf
in http://meted.ucar.edu/hao/aurora/txt/x_m_2_2.php
at the UCAR/Comet "Physics of the Aurora" website.

But when coronal mass ejections (CME) occur, the CME can so greatly
distort the interplanetary magnetic field lines that they start running
in N-S direction parallel to the solar z-axis and the Earth's magnetic
field lines -
http://meted.ucar.edu/hao/aurora/fla...vect_north.swf
in http://meted.ucar.edu/hao/aurora/txt/x_m_2_2.php

If the distorted N-S IMF line has a southward polarity, it can
partially cancel out the Earth's magnetic field line. This changes the
normal circulation pattern of the auroral current ring -
http://meted.ucar.edu/hao/aurora/fla...vect_north.swf
in http://meted.ucar.edu/hao/aurora/txt/x_m_2_2.php

- so the aurora can move further south -
http://meted.ucar.edu/hao/aurora/fla...vect_south.swf
in http://meted.ucar.edu/hao/aurora/txt/x_m_2_2.php

A 3-D simulation of the the shock wave produced by a CME:
http://www.expi.net/expinet/sep-24-98-movie.gif
in http://www.expi.net/expinet/kinematic.html
at Geophysical Institute of the Univ. of Alaska

Regards - Canopus56