Astronomy 101 is a special lecture by one of our Astronomers featuring a special topic. The Astronomer will present latest imagery and data about the topic using state-of-the-art planetarium software. The session is entirely live and includes Q&A. 

UTA Space Plasma Phycist Dr. Daniel Welling is going to present our special Astronomy 101 show with an exciting story around the sun and the Vietnam War.

Abstract: In 1972, the United States began a campaign of naval mine deployment in the waters outside of north Vietnam to disrupt shipping lines and force negotiations. However, on August 4th of that year, 4000 of the naval mines failed unexpectedly, complicating the withdrawal of US forces. The military scrambled to understand the cause. This talk shows why this failure was ultimately blamed on solar flares and the aurora. The science of this "space weather" is explained as well as how it can affect modern technological systems today.