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Film, Video Our Sun - Its Influence on Climate and Life

Event video

Transcript: TEXT

About this Item

Title

  • Our Sun - Its Influence on Climate and Life

Summary

  • Edward Guinan, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Villanova University, is a scientist on NASA-sponsored research programs that explore the behavior of the sun - and stars like the sun - to determine the effects of their radiation, magnetic activity and ejected plasmas on planets and life. Guinan addressed the topic in a lecture titled "Our Sun - Its Influence on Climate and Life." The sun has been a reliable energy source for more than 4.5 billion years. Scientists have learned that X-ray and ultraviolet emissions of the young sun were 1,000 times stronger than today's sun. Guinan discussed how the young sun's high-energy emissions played a major role in the loss of all water on Venus and much of Mars' original atmosphere, and how the Earth survived the early ravages of the young sun. In addition, Guinan addressed the effects of the sun's magnetic-generated energy on the Earth's climate, possibly playing a major role in the "Little Ice Age" from 1500 to 1850, a time when the sun had low levels of magnetic activity and the Earth had a cooler climate. Also, he discussed the role the sun may have played in global warming over the past 150 years. Is the sun to blame? Guinan concluded with a discussion of the sun's future and how the sun's ever-increasing luminosity affects the Earth's long-term climate and its habitability.

Names

  • Library of Congress
  • Library of Congress. Science, Technology, and Business Division, sponsoring body

Created / Published

  • Washington, D.C. : Library of Congress, 2009-04-22.

Headings

  • -  Education
  • -  Science, Technology
  • -  Environment, Conservation
  • -  Technology, Industry

Notes

  • -  Classification: Education.
  • -  Classification: Science.
  • -  Classification: Technology.
  • -  Edward Guinan.
  • -  Recorded on 2009-04-22.
  • -  Kids, Families.

Medium

  • 1 online resource

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021688223

Online Format

  • video
  • image
  • online text

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

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Credit Line: Library of Congress

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Library Of Congress, and Technology Library Of Congress. Science. Our Sun - Its Influence on Climate and Life. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, -04-22, 2009. Video. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021688223/.

APA citation style:

Library Of Congress & Library Of Congress. Science, T. (2009) Our Sun - Its Influence on Climate and Life. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, -04-22. [Video] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021688223/.

MLA citation style:

Library Of Congress, and Technology Library Of Congress. Science. Our Sun - Its Influence on Climate and Life. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, -04-22, 2009. Video. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021688223/>.