What will happen if magnetic field reverses?
During an excursion or a reversal, the magnetic field is considerably weakened and allows many more cosmic rays to reach the surface of the planet. These energetic particles from space can be damaging to life on Earth if too many reach the surface.
Is the magnetic field stable?
Earth’s magnetic field is generated within the outer core by the convective movement of liquid iron, but as we discovered in Chapter 8, the magnetic field is not stable over geological time. For reasons that are not completely understood, the magnetic field decays periodically and then becomes re-established.
How many times has the magnetic field reversed?
The rate of reversals in the Earth’s magnetic field has varied widely over time. 72 million years ago (Ma), the field reversed 5 times in a million years. In a 4-million-year period centered on 54 Ma, there were 10 reversals; at around 42 Ma, 17 reversals took place in the span of 3 million years.
Which planets have the strongest magnetic field?
Jupiter. After the Sun, Jupiter has by far the strongest and biggest magnetic field in our solar system — it stretches about 12 million miles from east to west, almost 15 times the width of the Sun. (Earth’s, on the other hand, could easily fit inside the Sun — except for its outstretched tail.)
Which planets have the strongest magnetic fields which have the weakest?
Earth’s magnetic field is categorized as moderately strong, the gas giants and ice giants have extremely strong magnetic fields, Mercury has a weak magnetic field, while Mars and Venus have no measurable magnetic fields. Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar System and therefore has the strongest magnetic field.
Is Ganymede visible from Earth?
From Earth, through a small telescope or strong binoculars, they look like tiny starlike pinpricks of light. But you’ll know they’re not stars because you’ll see them stretched out in a line that bisects Jupiter. Going from closest moon to Jupiter to the outermost, their order is Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.
How cold is Ganymede?
Ganymede is much colder than Earth, with these daytime temperatures ranging across the surface from 90 to 160 Kelvin (or -297 to -171 degrees Fahrenheit). Jupiter and its moons receive less than 1/30th the amount of sunlight that the Earth does, and Ganymede has essentially no atmosphere to trap heat.
What happens if Ganymede orbits the Earth?
What’s more, Ganymede’s crust is very rich in water ice. If it was orbiting Earth that ice would quickly melt and turn it into an ocean moon. It would also quickly develop an atmosphere, possibly mostly water vapor but probably also with a bunch of other volatiles that was trapped in the ice.
How long is a year on Ganymede?
172 hours
Can you live on the moon Ganymede?
Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope found evidence of thin oxygen atmosphere on Ganymede in 1996. The atmosphere is far too thin to support life as we know it. In 2004, scientists discovered irregular lumps beneath the icy surface of Ganymede.