Worksheet Chapter 9: Space Weather

1. Compare Solar Flares and Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) in terms of their nature and speed of propagation.

2. Describe two major impacts of severe space weather on human technology and modern civilization on Earth.

3. Briefly explain why sunspots follow an approximately 11-year cycle.

4. Earth's magnetosphere plays a crucial role in protecting life on Earth. (a) Explain how Earth's magnetosphere is formed. (b) Describe what happens to the shape of the magnetosphere when interacted with by solar wind. (c) State two benefits of the magnetosphere to life on Earth.

5. State the term used to describe glowing natural light displays produced near Earth's magnetic poles by energetic solar collisions.

6. True or False: Sunspots are hotter than their surrounding regions on the solar photosphere.

7. Name the three main layers of the Sun's atmosphere in order from the innermost visible surface layer to the outermost atmospheric layer.

8. True or False: A Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) takes less than 1 second to reach Earth from the Sun.

9. Which layer forms the outermost, hottest atmosphere of the Sun with temperatures exceeding 1,000,000°C?

10. Fill in the blank: The region surrounding Earth shielded by its magnetic field from charged solar particles is called the ____________.