Bright Sword starts with the grenade flat.

Chapter 434 The Importance of the Geomagnetic Field

That’s right, after a show of hands, the top leaders of Blue Star agreed to Liu Qi’s mantle cooling plan. This was naturally to lay the groundwork for the subsequent planetary engine enhancement plan.

After all, the strength that Liu Qi described that the wandering blue planet's core and mantle could achieve after cooling, as well as its maneuverability, were so attractive that no one wanted to experience the Jupiter crisis again. After all, the Jupiter crisis was ultimately caused by the fragility of the wandering blue planet itself and the insufficient thrust of the planetary engine.

As for the consequences of the disappearance of the Earth's magnetic field after the mantle and core cool down, Liu Qi has naturally thought of a solution!
After all, the importance of the geomagnetic field can be said to be the cradle of life. You know, in the vast universe, countless planets are running in their respective orbits, shining brightly. In its more than four billion years of life, the wandering blue star has not only operated safely and smoothly, but also nurtured a rich and colorful biological civilization.

The geomagnetic field is an indispensable factor for the wandering blue planet to be so prosperous and full of vitality and to protect the human race from generation to generation.

The geomagnetic field is the magnetic field distributed in the space around the wandering blue planet. Although the magnetic field is invisible and intangible, magnetism is a basic property of matter and an important form of matter's existence. The magnetic field is one of the most well-known natural phenomena: from compasses, magnets, magnetic cards, magnetized cups, medical nuclear magnetic equipment to maglev trains; from bees, homing pigeons, ... to human skin; from wandering blue planets, the sun, ... to interstellar space, the magnetic field is almost everywhere.

The geomagnetic field includes two parts: the basic magnetic field and the variable magnetic field. The basic magnetic field, also called the normal field, is the main part of the geomagnetic field, accounting for more than 99% of the magnetic field of the wandering blue star. It originates from the interior of the solid wandering blue star and is an endogenous magnetic field, which is relatively stable. The variable magnetic field includes various short-term changes in the geomagnetic field, which mainly originates from the outside of the solid wandering blue star and is relatively weak. The magnetic field strength of the wandering blue star is about 0.5 to 0.6 gauss.

The magnetic south pole of the Wandering Blue Planet's magnetic field roughly points to the geographic north pole, and the magnetic north pole roughly points to the geographic south pole. The angle between the magnetic axis and the Wandering Blue Planet's rotation axis is about 11 degrees. The distribution of magnetic lines of force is that the direction of the magnetic field near the equator is horizontal, and near the poles it is perpendicular to the surface. The magnetic field is weakest at the equator and strongest at the poles.

The magnetic field on the surface of the Wandering Blue Planet is affected by various factors and changes over time. Not only is the intensity not constant, but the magnetic poles are also changing, and magnetic pole reversals occur every once in a while. In the past 76 million years, the Wandering Blue Planet has experienced 171 magnetic pole reversals, the most recent of which occurred 700,000 years ago.

The area around the wandering blue star that is surrounded by the solar wind and controlled by the geomagnetic field is the wandering blue star magnetosphere. It is the outermost layer of the geomagnetic field control area and is also the area that directly bears the disturbance of the solar wind. The wandering blue star magnetosphere is located 600 to 1,000 kilometers above the top of the atmosphere. The outer boundary of the magnetosphere is called the magnetopause, which is 50,000 to 70,000 kilometers from the ground. Under the compression of the solar wind, the wandering blue star's magnetic field lines extend far into the space on the side facing away from the sun, forming a long tail, called the magnetic tail.

The magnetosphere of a wandering blue planet is a natural barrier that protects the wandering blue planet. It blocks high-energy solar wind particles from directly reaching the surface of the wandering blue planet, thus protecting the humans, animals and plants on the wandering blue planet. On the other hand, the magnetosphere is a huge natural laboratory that can be used to conduct plasma science experiments that cannot be achieved in ground laboratories.

If the magnetic field of the wandering blue planet disappears, this seemingly simple change will have serious consequences for humans and all life on the wandering blue planet. Some of the resulting effects will become very strange, while other consequences will be catastrophic.

These consequences can be divided into six aspects. Some consequences have little impact on humans, while others are very serious, causing a crisis no less serious than the crisis of solar helium flash. The first consequence is the failure of the most basic navigation compass. Compasses are actually just tiny magnets, and like all magnets, they are combined with nearby magnetic fields. If the magnetic field disappears, the compass will point to any nearby magnetic source. Of course, this crisis is dispensable. After all, modern human navigation has basically said goodbye to compasses.

Then the second consequence is that animals cannot migrate. You know, humans are not the only animals that use the magnetic field of the wandering blue planet to navigate. Many birds, turtles, lobsters, bees, salmon and even fruit flies have biological compasses.

If the magnetic field of the wandering blue star disappears, many animals that rely on compass navigation may be in serious trouble. Turtles may actually get lost at sea; migratory birds may fly in the wrong direction, threatening their survival; bees may get lost and unable to find their hives, which will also affect the pollination of flowers and other plants. Because their navigation ability is severely impaired, many creatures may face extinction.

Then the third consequence is the change in the aurora. The sun continuously releases charged particles or ion flows, forming solar wind, which impacts every celestial body in the solar system. It is the magnetic field of the wandering blue star that blocks or weakens the attack of the solar wind.

The solar wind itself is a kind of charged particles. When it is shot towards a wandering blue planet, the magnetic field of the wandering blue planet will deflect these charged particles. However, around the North and South Poles, the magnetosphere tilts inward like a funnel. Therefore, the magnetic field provides better protection for the equator and weaker protection for the poles. This is how the auroras that people often see at the North and South Poles come about.

Without the rogue blue star magnetic field, the entire atmosphere would be exposed to the solar wind, completely changing the way auroras can appear. So, as our polar skies change, the loss of the magnetic field will forever suppress one of the most amazing natural wonders on the rogue blue star.

The fourth consequence is the most terrifying, that is, cosmic rays directly reach the surface of the wandering blue planet. The geomagnetic field is the first protective barrier of the wandering blue planet. The large amount of cosmic rays in space has serious harm to humans and various creatures on the wandering blue planet. It is the magnetic field of the wandering blue planet that shields these high-energy rays.

Cosmic rays and solar winds are harmful to life on a wandering blue planet, and without the protection of a magnetosphere, our planet would be constantly bombarded with deadly particles. The effects of cosmic rays on the human body can be quite terrifying.

If the magnetic field of a wandering blue star disappears, the entire human race and other life will be in serious danger. Cosmic rays will bombard our bodies and even damage our DNA, increasing the risk of cancer and other diseases worldwide.

The fifth problem that will occur is widespread power outages and satellite damage. Human health is a problem, but without the geomagnetic field, our technology will also be in danger. Some satellites are damaged because their delicate electronics simply cannot cope with the huge solar storms, and many satellites lose control within hours of the flare. Our power grid will be more vulnerable than ever, and even our computers and other electronics may suffer damage from solar storms.

(End of this chapter)