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Solar Activity and Interplanetary Medium
Solar activity is usually called the whole set of observed non-stationary phenomena in the solar
atmosphere, its radiation in different ranges of electromagnetic waves and fluxes of particles
of different energies.
The degree of solar activity is characterized by certain indices, which are calculated from the results
of observations on various instruments and give a notion only of part of the complex picture of
solar activity.
The interplanetary medium is a matter and fields that fill the space inside the solar system from
the solar corona to the boundaries of the heliosphere with the exception of the planets and bodies
of the solar system. In the concept of "interplanetary medium" do not include the outer atmospheres
of planets (hydrogen extended corona), comets and their remains, the solar corona parts nearest
to the Sun, cosmic rays, including solar origin.
The interplanetary medium mainly includes the solar wind, interplanetary magnetic field, cosmic rays
(charged particles of high energy), neutral gas, interplanetary dust and electromagnetic radiation.
The interplanetary medium plays a key role in solar-terrestrial physics and its practical part - space weather.
This term refers to the state of the magnetosphere, ionosphere, troposphere, thermosphere - all layers of
near-Earth space at any given time interval, which is determined by the active phenomena on the sun.
At present, the term "near-Earth space" means the area beginning with height of 50-60 km from the Earth
and extending over a distance of tens of Earth's radii.
The substance that fills this area is still more connected with our planet, and not with the Sun or any other
astronomical body. It is clear that in this area we are dealing mainly with natural plasma.
The World Data Center for Solar-Terrestrial Physics has an extensive archive of data on solar activity and
the interplanetary medium obtained on the world network of solar observatories and stations and in analytical centers.
Sunspot number
Flux of radio emission from the Sun with a wavelength of 10.7 cm (2800 MHz)
Solar flare events
Solar proton events
Cycles of solar activity
Sector structure of the interplanetary magnetic field
Data on the solar activity and interplanetary medium off-line
Publications with data on Solar-Terrestrial Physics
List of solar observatories
Data on the solar activity and the interplanetary medium on the sites of other organizations
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