... Magnetic Storms . ... Cosmic Rays . ... Energetic Particles . ... Solar fast Particles . We cannot observe the way the distant universe accelerates cosmic rays or produces energetic photons, but acceleration processes also occur on our Sun , though on a much more moderate scale. ... That is why such events are often missed by cosmic ray detectors near the equator, where the lowest energies are excluded by the Earth's magnetic field. ... Should we be concerned about solar energetic radiation? ...
... The Earth's magnetosphere is not unique. Space probes which have visited the giant planets--Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune--found that all were magnetized, even more intensely than the Earth, and all were surrounded by radiation belts. ... The earliest evidence came from cosmic rays , discovered in 1912 by Victor Hess. ... In the biggest events, a few times each solar cycle, such ions spread throughout interplanetary space, at energies which can reach those of low-energy cosmic rays. ...
... On some space shuttle missions, there are opportunities for observers in the continental United States and Hawaii to see the orbiter fly overhead. ... The second item is a Space Shuttle Mission Chart, which is a Mercator projection map of the world with the orbiter's orbits superimposed on Earth's surface. ... Shuttles are launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, which is at a latitude of 28.5њ north. ... NASA Johnson Space Center . ... You will see that Shuttle orbits just graze the globe...