Subject: интересная Статья
Date   : 12 Dec 2003 09:19 GMT
From   : Lena Teissier [LG] (chanellg@hotmail.com)
To     : All

Извиняйте, на английском...

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From Popular Electronics
 

Radio Waves, Sunspots and Planets

by Saunder Harris / WINXL

Several mornings each week, in the center of New York's financial district, the
roof of a small structure located atop the RCA Communications building swings
open. A hovering helicopter could then see Mr. John H. Nelson, a serious-looking
man with thinning hair, assume his place behind a six-inch refracting telescope.
Mr. Nelson, an expert in electronics and astronomy, has one of the most
specialized and unusual jobs in the world; he is a propagation analyst.

What, exactly, does a propagation analyst do? Well, Mr. Nelson forecasts the
radio weather or, in more scientific terms, he predicts the magnetic condition
of the ionosphere, a major factor in the propagation of radio waves over long
distances. To demonstrate the practical value of knowing what the radio weather
WILL BE, let's take a typical example.

TRANSATLANTIC MESSAGE

Suppose we want to send a message from New York to London. Normally, this
message would be transmitted from the RCA station at Rocky Point, NY directly to
London. But today, let's say, Mr. Nelson has predicted that conditions will be
bad over the direct New York - London route.

So, after consulting one of Mr. Nelson's charts, we decide to reroute the
message over an alternate path which is free of ionospheric disturbances.
Instead of taking the direct route, we send the message through traffic relay
points at Paramaribo on the northern coast of South America, or at Tangier in
North Africa. From these points the message is relayed to its destination in
London.

This rerouting takes advantage of normally ideal north and south transmitting
conditions. Thus, rather than being chopped up and garbled because of
unfavorable ionospheric conditions, thanks to Mr. Nelson's advance warning, our
message gets to London clearly, accurately, and on time.

RADIO PROPAGATION

To appreciate the importance of knowing the condition of the ionosphere in
predicting radio weather, it is necessary to understand how a radio wave is
propagated through space and what part the ionosphere plays in this process. 
The ionosphere extends from about 40 to 200 miles above the Earth and is
composed of a fantastic number of "free" electrons which have been knocked loose
from their atoms by ultraviolet rays, cosmic rays, and solar radiation.  This
gigantic electron sea floats high in our atmosphere, and, like its watery
counterparts on Earth, it has tides, storms, and currents.

If conditions within the ionosphere are right, when a radio wave from a
transmitter strikes it, the wave will be bounced back in much the same manner
that light rays are reflected by a mirror. Thus, the radio wave can be returned
to the Earth at a considerable distance from its point of origin. Long-distance
radio communication would be impossible without this reflecting action of the
ionosphere.

The next question is: how does a propagation analyst know when the ionosphere is
going to reflect the radio wave properly?

CHARTING THE PLANETS

Amazing as it may seem, Mr. Nelson predicts the condition of the ionosphere, and
thus, the radio weather, by charting the positions of the planets. He first
began to study radio wave propagation in 1946, at which time he was able to
achieve 80% accuracy on 24-hour forecasts by basing predictions on sunspot
observation. In spite of the apparent success of the sunspot prediction method,
however, he felt that the condition of the ionosphere was determined NOT ONLY by
sunspots, but also by the relative positions of the PLANETS AS THEY CIRCLE
AROUND THE SUN.

Later investigation proved this theory to be correct. As a result of studying
planetary positions IN ADDITION to sunspot activity, Mr. Nelson's forecasts are
now 90% accurate for 30-hour periods. His long-range forecasts, covering periods
of 36 days, are 80% accurate.

Pluto's angular relationship with the other planets is exceptionally significant
in its effect on the radio weather, according to Mr. Nelson. During the
International Geophysical Year, which began on July 1, 1957 and ran through
December 31, 1958, there were six very severe magnetic storms and radio
disturbances.

Analyzing the data, Mr. Nelson found that the positioning of Pluto at a CRITICAL
ZERO ANGLE - three times with Venus and once with Mercury - showed up on four of
the six disturbances. Since Pluto's mean distance from the Sun is 3,671,000,000
miles, its influence would seem to be far-reaching indeed.

IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIPS

The results of Mr. Nelson's plottings of the planetary positions over more than
fourty years of research have brought to light SIX IMPORTANT FACTS about the
relationships of the planets and radio conditions on Earth. These are the
significant relationships which he uses in making forecasts, and may be summed
up as follows :

1) Best radio reception periods occur when Saturn and Jupiter are 120 degrees
apart. 
2) The most severe disturbances occur when Mars, Venus, Mercury and the Earth
are in critical relationship near points of the Saturn-Jupiter configuration.
 3) When two or more planets are at RIGHT ANGLES to each other, or in line with
the Sun between them, magnetic disturbances occur more frequently on the Earth's
surface. (see http://bbs.vtdl.net/G-/WWW/SHARE/KEELYNET/DIAGRAMS/PLANARC2.GIF)
 4) When the planets have moved away from their critical relationship, there is
a corresponding DECLINE in the severity of the magnetic weather.
 5) Three planets equally spaced at 15, 30, 60 OR 120 degrees have a  tendency
to produce disturbed radio signals if two of the planets are  fast-moving and
one is a slow-moving planet, or if all three are fast-moving planets.
 6) Three planets equally spaced at 60 degrees and four planets equally  spaced
at 60 degrees will disturb radio signals if at least two or more  of the planets
are fast-moving. If three or more of the planets in this  arrangement are slow
planets, no disturbance will occur.

SUCCESSFUL PREDICTIONS

Mr. Nelson does not attempt to explain WHY these things happen as they do. What
he has learned from his study is that they DO happen. Proof? His predictions are
SUCCESSFUL!

In making a forecast, Mr. Nelson starts by calculating the positions of the
planets with respect to each other. When a significant combination of angles is
indicated, he then calculates the positions to plus or minus 6 minutes of arc
for each hour of the day. It is this data which allows him to make the forecast.

The implications of John Nelson's work with the planets and radio waves leaves
one with the impression that planetary positions might be important in other
phases of our lives. Perhaps the ancient's superstitious study of the heavens
deserves re-evaluation by those of us interested IN MODERN SCIENCE.