Here, finally, you get to find out a bit about the experiments I'm going down south to look after. This is my project summary for the Davis Base Handbook that's being put together. Spacecraft! Atomic Explosions! Astronauts! Power failures! Read and be awestruck!

Space Weather is a term used to describe changes in the Earth’s magnetic field. Just as it affects weather on Earth, the Sun is responsible for disturbances in our local space environment as well.

The Sun emits a continuous stream of charged particles called plasma. Some of these particles interact with the magnetic field of the Earth to produce the light shows known as the Aurora Australis and Aurora Borealis. Periodically, the Sun also releases billions of tonnes of matter in an event called a coronal mass ejection. If this matter is directed towards the Earth it can cause magnetic storms high above the planet with energies equivalent to that of atomic explosions. These storms can cause radio and television interference, surges in power lines and damage to satellites, as well as posing a health risk for astronauts.

Newcastle University operates several experiments in Antarctica to monitor changes in the Earth’s magnetic field. The magnetometers located at and around Davis Base are able to observe a region of the magnetic field known as the cusp, which funnels solar particles into the upper atmosphere. Data from Antarctica is used in conjunction with readings from a Newcastle University magnetometer aboard the Australian satellite FedSat, which orbits at an altitude of 805 km. Information obtained from these experiments helps to forecast the space weather and enables damage from solar storms to be minimised.

This summer, remote magnetometers located on the plateau 100 km inland from Davis will be retrieved, and maintenance and calibrations will be carried out on all of the Newcastle experimental equipment to ensure high quality data continues to be received.