An astronaut and his new camera peer into the heart of the thunderstorm and learn more about its structure.
european space agency Astronaut Andreas Mogensen is planning a flurry follow-up to the 2015 study. international space station. Newly arriving at the orbital complex for a six-month mission, Mogensen plans to observe the thunderstorm again. earth. Some of the elusive phenomena he hopes to see include “blue jets” (upside-down lightning bolts) and “red sprites” (discharges in the Earth’s layers). Earth’s atmosphere, known as the mesosphere. )
“We still need a lot to understand exactly how they form and how they develop,” Mogensen said. told Space.com in Julybefore takeoff on August 25th. space x Crew-7. He said it was “one of the most exciting studies” for the research team, as images of his blue jet graced the covers of both science’s most prestigious magazines, Science and Nature, in 2015. He added that it would be.
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Lightning has been captured by space cameras thanks to powerful satellites such as the US GOES (Geostationary Operational Environment Satellite) series and the new European Meteosat 3rd generation series. However, human-led studies suggest that, assuming Mogensen isn’t preoccupied with something immovable on the schedule, it is easier to re-challenge Mogensen on the fly when a storm strikes, thus making it more flexible. It becomes possible to respond accordingly.
Two other things work in Mogensen’s favor. His 2015 assignment lasted just 10 days.This time, he plans to stay. space For at least 6 months. The new camera he has, called the Davis He Camera, is also novelty, and he captures up to 100,000 images per second based on the events he sees.
Mogensen said the new camera “provides scientists with a way to study the formation and development of this type of lightning in more detail, and to pinpoint exactly how they form and develop.” There is still much left for us to understand,” he said.
This camera is neuromorphic. In other words, it uses a different imaging method than standard cameras. “Rather than collecting light through the camera’s shutter to capture an image, the camera measures differences in light and uses that information to create the image,” said an ESA official. written in a statement Thursday (September 7).
“A person who is perfectly still in a bright room is not recorded by Davis’ camera because the light does not change. When the person starts to move, Davis’ camera records the change in light and creates a video.” To do.”
Olivier Chamlyon, lead author April 2023 Presentation Speaking to the European Geophysical Union in Vienna and the study online, he said that gazing at lightning also offers a unique view of the human factor. climate change.
“The interaction of these lightning events with the upper atmosphere is not fully understood,” Charion said in the same statement. He is also a senior researcher at DTU Space, Denmark’s largest space research institute.
Charion said the new study “provides an opportunity to analyze and quantify the effects[of thunderstorms]and see to what extent they are associated with the upper overshoot of thunderclouds that inject greenhouse gases and aerosols into the stratosphere. I will,” he added.