SAASST News

Thursday, 19 November 2020 08:31

SAASST Space Weather Workshop

The Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences, and Technology has organized a special "Space Weather Workshop" on Nov. 19, 2020. The workshop consisted of 6 activities, as described in the program below:

Lecture 1- Dr. Mubasshir Shaikh: What is Space Weather?

Lecture 2 – Dr. Ilias Fernini: Sunspots – It All Begins Here!

Lecture 3 – Mr. Mohamed Talafha: Sunspot Area and the Sunspot Number

Lecture 4 – Dr. Mubasshir Shaikh: Space Weather Research at SAASST

Break

Lecture 5- Govardan/Abdelrahman/Sahar: Digital Ionosonde Practical Session

Lecture 6- Govardan/Abdelrahman/Sahar: Data Processing for a Digital Ionosonde

Researchers, students, and faculty members attended the workshop to learn more about the Sun's adverse effects on planet Earth. Space weather refers to the environmental conditions in Earth's magnetosphere, ionosphere, and thermosphere due to the Sun and the solar wind that can influence the functioning and reliability of spaceborne and ground-based systems and services or endanger property or human health. At SAASST, a research front in this domain has been opened by acquiring two main instruments, a GNSS station, and a CADI Ionosonde. Participants were explained how the solar wind affects Earth's magnetosphere and how it can generate geomagnetic storms. A practical session on ionosonde usage was conducted by two undergraduate students, Govardan Gopakumar and Sahar Naser Sowdagar, and one graduate student Abdelrahman Mohamed. 

A special Sharjah TV program (Amassi) reported on the space weather workshop. Dr. Ilias Fernini was interviewed about the concept of space weather and its importance for planet Earth. Dr. Ilias also outlined all of SAASST's programs and also future workshops. The full TV interview can be checked through the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KlgVtsHCoA&feature=youtu.be