Virtual Real Time 4D Ionosphere

[junglelord]

this looks yummy

Yesterday, NASA-supported researchers at the Space Weather Workshop in Boulder, Colorado, unveiled a "4D" computer model for the general public. Download a few files and presto--you're flying through the ionosphere. The model shows the ionosphere as it is right now; it's a real-time display based on current solar activity and atmospheric conditions. This new tool can help ham radio operators plan their next DX transmissions, help pilots avoid polar radio blackouts, and help researchers see the effects of solar flares on Earth's atmosphere--and it's fun, too.

Find out how to start your own flight from Science@NASA

April 30, 2008: Today, NASA-funded researchers released to the general public a new "4D" live model of Earth's ionosphere. Without leaving home, anyone can fly through the layer of ionized gas that encircles Earth at the edge of space itself. All that's required is a connection to the Internet.

"This is an exciting development," says solar physicist Lika Guhathakurta of NASA headquarters in Washington, DC. "The ionosphere is important to pilots, ham radio operators, earth scientists and even soldiers. Using this new 4D tool, they can monitor and study the ionosphere as if they're actually inside it."

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008 ... sphere.htm