This will be a continuation of the research that started 8 years ago.
European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, aboard the International Space Station (ISS), plans to use a new space camera to continue studying storms on Earth from space. Astronauts first began studying this atmospheric phenomenon in 2015. Space writes that the goal of the new study is to obtain more detailed information about the structure of thunderstorms.
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Andreas Mogensen arrived at the ISS at the end of August along with other astronauts as part of the SpaceX Crew-7 mission. He will spend six months in space and return to Earth storm studies, which he started 8 years ago. In particular, he plans to pay special attention to the study of blue jets, i.e. lightning strikes into space, and red sprites, which are electrical discharges that occur in the planet’s mesosphere.
Saying that this would be one of the most exciting studies before flying to the ISS, Mogensen reminded that the blue jet photographs he took from the orbital station 8 years ago appeared on the covers of the most prestigious science magazine, Science. and Nature. According to the astronaut, there is still much to learn about how the most unusual lightning on Earth forms and evolves.
Although images of lightning from space have already been captured by the GOES and Meteosat satellites, astronauts can still react more quickly to the occurrence of atmospheric events and conduct investigations when they occur.
Mogensen has at least six months to conduct research, unlike the previous expedition, when he spent only 10 days in space. Secondly, the astronaut now has a more powerful space camera that can take up to 100 thousand photos per second, depending on the observed events.
Important
According to the astronaut, the new camera makes it possible to study the formation and development of blue jets and red sprites in more detail. This camera is neuromorphic, meaning it uses a different imaging method than standard cameras. Instead of taking a photo by collecting light through the camera shutter, the camera measures the difference in light and uses this information to create an image.
Scientists from ESA believe that observing lightning from space also offers a unique opportunity to understand recent climate changes caused by human activities. Because the interaction between such lightning strikes and the upper atmosphere is not fully understood, there is now an opportunity to analyze these effects and test how storms relate to greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
As I already wrote FocusScientists explained what will happen to people who survive a lightning strike.
Moreover Focus He wrote about what science knows about mysterious ball lightning. Despite scientific video of this mysterious phenomenon, researchers still know very little about it.
Source: Focus
Ashley Fitzgerald is an accomplished journalist in the field of technology. She currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker. With a deep understanding of the latest technology developments, Ashley’s writing provides readers with insightful analysis and unique perspectives on the industry.