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Hayden Planetarium Astrophysicist Dr. Charles Liu on the discovery of an intergalactic mass in space and the potential impact of solar storms on our e...
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Nature.
According to year old Australian student has perhaps solve the mystery.
That's puzzled scientists for years.
During an intern ship at the University of Melbourne -- relocated and inter galactic mass.
That it moved through what is termed the elements of the galaxies.
Which stretch across enormous expanses of space.
Astro physicists have known about the missing mass for the past two decades.
But the technology required to pinpoint.
A location has become available only in recent years at least that's one view now for another view.
The country's been under siege by weather in recent years devastating tornadoes.
Hurricanes floods droughts and kill thousands -- billions upon billions in damage.
A lot of people wanna talk about global warming there woman talk about man made.
Changes in our environment.
But according to a top government scientists there is -- far more important threat.
That solar max storms on the sun that could cripple -- -- satellite communications navigation systems.
And electrical transmission equipment and grids.
Here to talk about this and whether or not we are women and over dependency on electrical grids and products are from lead to calamity.
Is doctor Charles Wu professor of Astro physics.
And through College of Staten Island assertion that -- Hayden Planetarium great to have -- with -- it's a pleasure to be here -- Charles let's start with first would be the issue of the woman's in the galaxy and and in this is.
If this is true it is significant costs 42 year old your radio and intern ship or Melbourne making all of you crawls looked like you were -- deities.
Well we're so glad that we have young people like that that are so talented.
The basic point is this what she was discovering was not so much these so called cosmological dark matter that's not made up of protons neutrons electrons.
But we do know that for decades now we've been trying to find.
The missing protons and neutrons electrons real real well yes but we would call -- -- -- for that matter that we know make up the earth.
And shoes were -- real -- sure why not.
-- We thought for a long time that between galaxies we live in the Milky Way contains hundreds of billions of stars.
But between us and say the next galaxy or the next thousands of galaxies and maybe lots of -- -- floating there that hasn't been detected.
And what this young lady did with her collaborators.
Was very simply to stack up.
Hundreds of -- images that by themselves.
Didn't show anything but when you put them together revealed that.
Think greed should material that goes literally millions.
Of light years from one galaxy to the next to -- -- of wonderful discovery.
But yet it's it's far from conclusive -- its -- what.
The real -- that's right at the I only use those graphically I'm not -- totally fine how about you put it you've hit the nail on the head it seems very convincing.
But it is just one study and it's one part of the universe there's a lot more left to look at but this is really an interest in new discovery.
Moving closer don't share our -- Has been in solar memorable.
For some time historically low.
And and when we say historically -- where you were used to having grown away objections were users -- the sun spots right.
They've been if for a period of time literally -- that's right -- almost three years ending only just recently.
We were at the lowest amount of solar activity and more than seven decades.
Lot of people were wondering what's going on with the side but the reality is again just like here on earth.
We have a hard time predicting hurricanes or tornados -- -- thunderstorms even.
The same is true with the sun is enormously more complicated -- enormously.
Greater potential impact on earth interestingly you know the warnings from the government now are.
Are are becoming.
Somewhat.
Some -- Dire in tone.
And toward about the vulnerabilities of our electrical grid protect north.
How how seriously do you take those warnings how serious are the possibilities.
Well.
We're not talking apocalypse okay.
Or we'll take apocalypse so we'll do that -- analysts -- -- threat but the reality is just as you say if you have a home in Florida you gotta pay attention hurricanes.
We now are extending our civilization out into space into low earth orbit and beyond so we have to pay attention to the -- Sun spots when they are most powerful can actually.
Produce.
These storms on the surface which are larger than the planet earth itself.
When -- subject matter they can sometimes -- checked with the energy.
Equivalent to millions of atomic bombs and -- his sentence -- earth and this hits the Earth's magnetosphere that's right.
Our atmosphere.
We have a potential of shorting out.
Electrical circuits that are very large especially the polar regions we have the potential for losing satellite communications.
We have the potential for all kinds of -- -- Telecommunications.
Issues.
-- -- structural damage the economic damage could be immense -- Could it also be lasting.
I would say that without the proper preparation.
We could easily lose our ability to communicate worldwide -- it was so used to.
For periods of days weeks possibly even two months in some of the more remote location.
And everything we know that in the 2012 budget the Obama administration's put forward from north recorder.
Of a billion dollars for he's smart grid -- which is about a 3840%.
Improvement over the previous year.
Literally nothing -- -- under this if we can get.
Those.
Preparations done for things like solar storms into that grid.
It would save us a lot of -- -- these storms will come with what's called solar max when his solar max because -- gone through a period over remarkable through even a short in activities right the current.
Prediction is about may 2013 when solar max will come that's when most of the storms will be most powerful but.
Big storms can come at any time again I'll use that hurricane analogy even if you don't have a busy hurricane season.
Or your offseason slightly a big storm -- common cause a lot of trouble time.
Professor Charles -- always great to see that was really paying extra.
