Uploaded November 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In this talk, Alexandra discusses the “winds”, “storms” and “rains” of Earth’s Space Weather.
Starting at the centre of the Solar System, where the Sun’s atmosphere bubbles and streams out. This solar “wind” crashes into planets throughout the solar system, driving “stormy” conditions which in turn drive all kinds of dynamics. Alexandra explored the famous Halloween space weather storm of 2003, and its impacts on human technology.
Finally, particles which “rain” down on the Earth’s atmosphere dramatically drive the Earth’s aurora: it’s Northern and Southern lights, she discussedimages of the aurora as seen from Ireland.
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Dr Alexandra Ruth Fogg
Alexandra is a Space Scientist working at DIAS Dunsink Observatory, a site of historical significance in Irish (and international) astronomy. She has always been passionate about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and so completed her Physics degree with a specialism in space science and technology at the University of Leicester in 2016. With a passion for space physics, Alexandra completed a PhD on Earth’s Space Weather in 2020, which was a springboard for a career in space science.
Since 2020, Alexandra has worked in Dublin, researching primarily Earth’s Space environment and Space Weather through many different avenues. She has also explored similarities and differences with the space environments of different planets of the solar system.
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Now in its seventh year, Samhain agus Science brings together researchers from DIAS and around the world for a series of free events that take inspiration from the Celtic festival of Samhain and look at the dark side of science.
The festival aims to make the big scientific questions of our time and Celtic history relevant, accessible, and fun to a general audience who might not normally be familiar with these topics.
In this talk, Alexandra discusses the “winds”, “storms” and “rains” of Earth’s Space Weather.
Starting at the centre of the Solar System, where the Sun’s atmosphere bubbles and streams out. This solar “wind” crashes into planets throughout the solar system, driving “stormy” conditions which in turn drive all kinds of dynamics. Alexandra explored the famous Halloween space weather storm of 2003, and its impacts on human technology.
Finally, particles which “rain” down on the Earth’s atmosphere dramatically drive the Earth’s aurora: it’s Northern and Southern lights, she discussedimages of the aurora as seen from Ireland.
**********
Dr Alexandra Ruth Fogg
Alexandra is a Space Scientist working at DIAS Dunsink Observatory, a site of historical significance in Irish (and international) astronomy. She has always been passionate about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and so completed her Physics degree with a specialism in space science and technology at the University of Leicester in 2016. With a passion for space physics, Alexandra completed a PhD on Earth’s Space Weather in 2020, which was a springboard for a career in space science.
Since 2020, Alexandra has worked in Dublin, researching primarily Earth’s Space environment and Space Weather through many different avenues. She has also explored similarities and differences with the space environments of different planets of the solar system.
**********
Now in its seventh year, Samhain agus Science brings together researchers from DIAS and around the world for a series of free events that take inspiration from the Celtic festival of Samhain and look at the dark side of science.
The festival aims to make the big scientific questions of our time and Celtic history relevant, accessible, and fun to a general audience who might not normally be familiar with these topics.
