[Sorry for the late reply, but I've been out of town.]
Morgan Sparks wrote:
> How fast do the particles travel from the sun?
Typical speed for solar wind particles is 500 km/sec, if memory
serves. I don't know how much that changes when the particles become
trapped by the Earth's magnetic field.
> I suppose the
> "flickering" of the northern lights does not reflect their actual speed,
> but the effect created as waves of particles intersect with elements in
> the atmosphere.....much like the points of intersection in merging
> circles.
Yes, I think so. I suspect what you're seeing is shifts in the
magnetic field lines (along which the particles are travelling.)
> Still, depending on one's viewing location and direction of
> the bombardment, aren't there situations where you can see nearly the
> actual speed of particle travel?
>
> My interest in speed was sparked by the thought that there may be no
> other phenomenon where such rapid travel of anything is displayed to
> humans.
I doubt it. Individual particles produce very little light -- too little
to track them from a distance.
Steve Schaffner
sschaff@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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