Listening in on solar winds

Episodic solar activity has a number of effects that are of interest to us earthlings. A radiation dose from energetic particles is an occasional hazard for astronauts and for electronics on satellites, as witnessed by Japan's recent multibillion dollar loss of a satellite. Geomagnetic field disturbances can also damage power systems, disrupt communications (including the ubiquitous cell phone), and degrade high-tech navigation systems like GPS, and it even has an effect on our weather. Observing the Earth's geomagnetic anomalies caused by these invisible solar winds only requires a simple magnetometer. This article presents a design of an ultra simple but extremely sensitive magnetometer using a few inexpensive and easily available items. The magnetometer used by the author was built around a discarded galvanometer. It also includes a prism, magnetic field sensor, laser pointer head, and three zeroing magnets.