By

Dr Peter Gallagher, UCD

Abstract:

Solar activity affects the Earth in many ways. One of the most dramatic sources of activity are solar storms, which can move at speeds of thousands of kilometres per second in the direction of the planet Earth -- it is these events that result in what is called space weather. In this talk I will describe the Sun, solar storms, and ultimately how these phenomena can produce effects ranging from spectacular auroral displays at high latitudes, to electric transformer burn-outs on the Earth's surface.

Biography:

Dr. Peter Gallagher obtained a BSc in physics from UCD in 1995, followed by an MSc and a PhD in physics from Queen's University Belfast in 1996

and 1999. He then headed off to sunny southern California to work as a postdoc at Big Bear Solar Observatory, followed by three years at NASA's

Goddard Space Flight Center. In September 2004 Peter became a Lecturer in Experimental Physics at UCD, where his research focuses on understanding and predicting solar activity using a slew of European Space Agency and NASA satellites.

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