Talk:Solar proton event

"SPE event occurs.... when protons get caught in Earth magnetic field." I think SPE can be experienced anywhere in our solar system. Now it seems like they would be something related to Earth.

I would propose this definition http://pdf.aiaa.org/preview/CDReadyMSPACE07_1808/PV2007_6047.pdf

"Solar proton events are conditions that occur in space that cause the flux of protons to increase by 4-5 orders of magnitude, at times within a matter of minutes. These events are spawned by eruptive activity that occurs at the Sun." —Preceding unsigned comment added by 195.169.141.54 (talk) 09:28, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Some unanswered questions
Some things I wanted to know that this article didn't tell me: 1. How often do SPEs occur? How long do they last? Some distribution statistics would be nice. 2. What is the temporal pattern of a typical SPE? Do they build up slowly enough to support protective action in advance? 3. Are they at all predictable? Are they correlated in time or directionality? 4. What is the spatial pattern? What is the width of a typical SPE pulse? 5. Presumably individual protons are traveling at very close to light speeds. However if the pulse has an intense associated magnetic field or shock front, the pulse as whole might be traveling slower. Is that the case? (If so it might be possible to devise warning systems.) 6. What are the implications for interplanetary space travel and colonization? Burressd (talk) 05:59, 11 January 2012 (UTC)