June 16, 2025 • 6 mins
Did you know that space physics affects your life every single day? 🌍 From the GPS on your phone to accurate weather forecasts and power grid protection, the invisible forces of space shape our modern world. In this video, we break down how space physics influences:
👍 Like, share, and comment if you’ve learned something new!#SpacePhysics #EverydayScience #WeatherTech #GPS #SolarStorms #Tomorrowio #SpaceWeather #DisasterPreparedness #PowerGrid #ScienceExplained #AIinWeather
- 📡 GPS & communications
- ⛈️ Real-time weather forecasting
- ⚡ Power grid protection from solar storms
- 🛰️ Technological innovations from space
- 🚨 Early warning systems for disasters
- 🚀 Safer space travel and more
👍 Like, share, and comment if you’ve learned something new!#SpacePhysics #EverydayScience #WeatherTech #GPS #SolarStorms #Tomorrowio #SpaceWeather #DisasterPreparedness #PowerGrid #ScienceExplained #AIinWeather
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Okay, so let's jump into this. When you hear space physics,
I bet you think, you know, astronauts, maybe distant galaxies,
stuff that's happening way out there right.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Super academic, maybe even sounds a bit well, irrelevant to
your daily life, like your commute or getting a phone
signals exactly.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
But that's the surprising thing we found in the source
material for this deep dive.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Yeah, it turns out space physics isn't just about the cosmos.
It's actually fundamentally tangled up with your life right here
every day.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
So our goal today is really to unpack those connections,
show you how understanding what's happening between say, the Sun
and Earth is vital for the tech you rely on.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Definitely, and maybe the best place to start is with
something that's probably in your pocket or nearby right now.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Your phone or the car you drive.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Yeah, your phone, your car's navigation.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Absolutely like GPS navigation, streaming stuff on your phone, even
satellite internet. You just kind of expect it all to
work perfectly instantly, but those.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Signal coming down from satellites are surprisingly vulnerable. They can
be affected by what we call space weather.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
Space weather.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Yeah, the Sun isn't static. It's always sending out charged
particles energy, and sometimes you get these big burst solar
flares CMEs coronal mass ejections, and when that stuff hits
Earth's magnetic field, it can trigger geomagnetic storms.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
So wait, bad weather and space can actually mess with
my GPS down here.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
That's exactly it. These storms and just solar activity in
general can stir up the ionosphere.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
The ionosphere that's the layer high up, electrically charged right.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
And radio signals including GPS signals and comm's satellite signals
have to pass through it or sometimes bounce off it.
If the ionosphere is disturbed by space weather, those signals
get well bent, delayed, even absorbed.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
And that bending or delay means my GPS map is
slightly off or my phone signal drops for a second.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Precisely, it introduces errors. But this is where knowing the
space physics helps scientists study these interactions center stuff, build
models to predict it, to predict it, and also to
understand how it messes with the signals. Yeah, and that
lets engineers build better systems, more.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Resilient ones, systems that can maybe even correct for some
of that interference.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Exactly. They build in corrections based on understanding the physics.
That's why your GPS is generally so reliable for your
car or even for landing planes and guiding ships.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
That's incredible that signals from space rely so much on
knowing the physics between here and there. Okay, let's shift
gears from your pocket to something much bigger, the power grid.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Yeah, keeping the lights on feels pretty grounded, doesn't it. Totally,
But this is a really critical piece of infrastructure. Those
same big geomagnetic storms we just talked about, they can
actually induce powerful electric currents right here on the ground.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Induced currents in power lines.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
How we'll think of the storm causing Earth's magnetic field
to fluctuate wildly. That changing magnetic field generates voltages in
long conductors are power lines. It's basic physics, like electromagnetism. Okay,
but these aren't the normal AC currents the grid uses.
They're more like quasi DC currents, and they can overload transformers.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Push them too hard, yeah, push.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Them way beyond what they're designed for. They can overheat, get.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Damaged seriously, lean to actual blackouts.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
It's happened. Major storms have caused significant outages. Yeah, but again,
understanding the space physics is.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Absolutely key here for prevention.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
For prevention and resilience. It helps engineers design grids that
are tougher against these induced currents, and maybe even more importantly,
it allows for early warning systems.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Like a space weather forecast.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Exactly, utilities monitor these forecasts. If a big storm is coming,
they can take steps, maybe take some equipment offline temporarily
to protect it.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
Wow, so it's proactive. Okay, what else are there other
intecs we might not think about?
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Oh, definitely think about the satellites themselves, the ones monitoring
Earth's weather climate data. They need protecting too, or from
what from space radiation, high energy particles from the Sun,
from deep space cosmic rays. Understanding that radiation environment is
crucial for designing shielding so the satellites survive and function properly.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
And I guess that's even more critical for humans in space.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
Astronauts absolutely vital. Predicting solar flares. Knowing when a burst
of radiation is coming lets missions taste shelter. It also
dictates how you design the spacecraft shielding itself right, and
you know, it even affects older tech like HF radio
high frequency still used by planes military ships for long distance.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
Colms bouncing signals off that same ionosphere layer.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
That's the one. So space weather impacts its reliability.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
To It's fascinating how this research into something so sort
of out there drives practical innovation down here.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Yeah, that's a huge point. When you push the limits
to understand this ba's environment, you have to invent new
stuff like sensors that can survive intense radiation materials for
extreme temperatures. The incredibly complex computer models needed to predict space.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
Weather, right, the computing power must be immense.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
It is, and often these advancements, the miniaturized parts, the
tough electronics, the data processing tricks, they find their way
into other things, spinoff technologies.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Into consumer goods, things we use every day without realizing
the connection.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Exactly, stuff that benefits us all, even if space wasn't
the initial goal for that specific bit of tech.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
So it really sounds like space weather forecasting, like you said,
a weather report but for space is becoming just well
essential for how we live now.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
It really is increasingly so. Just like knowing a hurricane
is coming helps people prepare on the.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
Coast, knowing a geomagnetic storm is coming helps to power companies, airlines,
power companies, airlines, satellite operators, even farmers using precision GPS
for planting. Anyone relying on these technologies needs to know
so they can mitigate the risks, protect their systems, limit
the economic damage.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
So okay, the takeaway here is pretty clear. Then next
time you grab your phone for or does flip a
light switch or even check the weather. Ah, none of
it would work quite as well, maybe not at all
sometimes without us understanding something that seems as far away
as space physics.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
Yeah, from the grid keeping your lights on, to the
GPS guiding you, the phone connecting you, space physics is
this like silent partner underpinning it all critical but invisible
most of the time. It really makes you think, doesn't it.
If we're already this dependent on spacetech for while almost
everything in modern life, what does that deep reliance on
understanding space physics actually mean for our future? For how
(06:34):
resilient we are
Okay, so let's jump into this. When you hear space physics,
I bet you think, you know, astronauts, maybe distant galaxies,
stuff that's happening way out there right.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Super academic, maybe even sounds a bit well, irrelevant to
your daily life, like your commute or getting a phone
signals exactly.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
But that's the surprising thing we found in the source
material for this deep dive.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Yeah, it turns out space physics isn't just about the cosmos.
It's actually fundamentally tangled up with your life right here
every day.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
So our goal today is really to unpack those connections,
show you how understanding what's happening between say, the Sun
and Earth is vital for the tech you rely on.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Definitely, and maybe the best place to start is with
something that's probably in your pocket or nearby right now.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Your phone or the car you drive.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Yeah, your phone, your car's navigation.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Absolutely like GPS navigation, streaming stuff on your phone, even
satellite internet. You just kind of expect it all to
work perfectly instantly, but those.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Signal coming down from satellites are surprisingly vulnerable. They can
be affected by what we call space weather.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
Space weather.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Yeah, the Sun isn't static. It's always sending out charged
particles energy, and sometimes you get these big burst solar
flares CMEs coronal mass ejections, and when that stuff hits
Earth's magnetic field, it can trigger geomagnetic storms.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
So wait, bad weather and space can actually mess with
my GPS down here.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
That's exactly it. These storms and just solar activity in
general can stir up the ionosphere.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
The ionosphere that's the layer high up, electrically charged right.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
And radio signals including GPS signals and comm's satellite signals
have to pass through it or sometimes bounce off it.
If the ionosphere is disturbed by space weather, those signals
get well bent, delayed, even absorbed.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
And that bending or delay means my GPS map is
slightly off or my phone signal drops for a second.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Precisely, it introduces errors. But this is where knowing the
space physics helps scientists study these interactions center stuff, build
models to predict it, to predict it, and also to
understand how it messes with the signals. Yeah, and that
lets engineers build better systems, more.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Resilient ones, systems that can maybe even correct for some
of that interference.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Exactly. They build in corrections based on understanding the physics.
That's why your GPS is generally so reliable for your
car or even for landing planes and guiding ships.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
That's incredible that signals from space rely so much on
knowing the physics between here and there. Okay, let's shift
gears from your pocket to something much bigger, the power grid.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Yeah, keeping the lights on feels pretty grounded, doesn't it. Totally,
But this is a really critical piece of infrastructure. Those
same big geomagnetic storms we just talked about, they can
actually induce powerful electric currents right here on the ground.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Induced currents in power lines.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
How we'll think of the storm causing Earth's magnetic field
to fluctuate wildly. That changing magnetic field generates voltages in
long conductors are power lines. It's basic physics, like electromagnetism. Okay,
but these aren't the normal AC currents the grid uses.
They're more like quasi DC currents, and they can overload transformers.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Push them too hard, yeah, push.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Them way beyond what they're designed for. They can overheat, get.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Damaged seriously, lean to actual blackouts.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
It's happened. Major storms have caused significant outages. Yeah, but again,
understanding the space physics is.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Absolutely key here for prevention.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
For prevention and resilience. It helps engineers design grids that
are tougher against these induced currents, and maybe even more importantly,
it allows for early warning systems.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Like a space weather forecast.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Exactly, utilities monitor these forecasts. If a big storm is coming,
they can take steps, maybe take some equipment offline temporarily
to protect it.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
Wow, so it's proactive. Okay, what else are there other
intecs we might not think about?
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Oh, definitely think about the satellites themselves, the ones monitoring
Earth's weather climate data. They need protecting too, or from
what from space radiation, high energy particles from the Sun,
from deep space cosmic rays. Understanding that radiation environment is
crucial for designing shielding so the satellites survive and function properly.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
And I guess that's even more critical for humans in space.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
Astronauts absolutely vital. Predicting solar flares. Knowing when a burst
of radiation is coming lets missions taste shelter. It also
dictates how you design the spacecraft shielding itself right, and
you know, it even affects older tech like HF radio
high frequency still used by planes military ships for long distance.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
Colms bouncing signals off that same ionosphere layer.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
That's the one. So space weather impacts its reliability.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
To It's fascinating how this research into something so sort
of out there drives practical innovation down here.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Yeah, that's a huge point. When you push the limits
to understand this ba's environment, you have to invent new
stuff like sensors that can survive intense radiation materials for
extreme temperatures. The incredibly complex computer models needed to predict space.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
Weather, right, the computing power must be immense.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
It is, and often these advancements, the miniaturized parts, the
tough electronics, the data processing tricks, they find their way
into other things, spinoff technologies.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Into consumer goods, things we use every day without realizing
the connection.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Exactly, stuff that benefits us all, even if space wasn't
the initial goal for that specific bit of tech.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
So it really sounds like space weather forecasting, like you said,
a weather report but for space is becoming just well
essential for how we live now.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
It really is increasingly so. Just like knowing a hurricane
is coming helps people prepare on the.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
Coast, knowing a geomagnetic storm is coming helps to power companies, airlines,
power companies, airlines, satellite operators, even farmers using precision GPS
for planting. Anyone relying on these technologies needs to know
so they can mitigate the risks, protect their systems, limit
the economic damage.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
So okay, the takeaway here is pretty clear. Then next
time you grab your phone for or does flip a
light switch or even check the weather. Ah, none of
it would work quite as well, maybe not at all
sometimes without us understanding something that seems as far away
as space physics.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
Yeah, from the grid keeping your lights on, to the
GPS guiding you, the phone connecting you, space physics is
this like silent partner underpinning it all critical but invisible
most of the time. It really makes you think, doesn't it.
If we're already this dependent on spacetech for while almost
everything in modern life, what does that deep reliance on
understanding space physics actually mean for our future? For how
(06:34):
resilient we are
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