A little help understanding this?

Summary:

My friend showed me this and I couldn't make out what it meant.

A little help understanding this?

Emperor Palpatine 17 Jul 2010 16:58

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/07/16/nasa.upper.atmosphere.shrinking/?hpt=T2

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Everything is proceeding as I have forseen. Wait… when did that happen?

Re: A little help understanding this?

UndeadxNurse 17 Jul 2010 17:14

If I'm understanding the article, the thermosphere has shrank or decreased in altitude, but they have no clue as to why, they're assuming that the only things that this will effect is the gravitational pull or the gravitational stability of our satellites and so on. It's nothing to worry about, if I'm correct in my understanding, but the only thing that it is presenting at the moment is a puzzling question as to why the thermosphere has shrank or decreased in altitude. Solar activity nor carbon dioxide levels can account for the amount of decrease that it's currently experiencing.

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Wie Sie säen, so sollst du ernten.

Re: A little help understanding this?

TheGreatJuju 17 Jul 2010 22:46

The upper region of the atmosphere has shrank for unknown reasons to it's lowest level in 43 years. 43 years is a cosmic instant, and the article concludes by noting that the thermosphere is already expanding again. This happens all the time, usually in conjunction with solar output, but the shrinkage between 2007 and 2009 was simply greater than expected. It's an interesting phenomenon to keep tabs on, but there's nothing to worry about.

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"They tell you, but do you believe it? If so, why?"

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