S E N S 2 0 0 7 Third Scientific Conference with International Participation SPACE, ECOLOGY, NANOTECHNOLOGY, SAFETY 27–29 June 2007, Varna, Bulgaria SPACE WEATHER EFFECTS STUDIES IN AZERBAIJAN: POTENTIAL IMPACTS ON GEOSPHERE, BIOSPHERE AND PERIODIC COMETS Elchin Babayev, Arif Hashimov, Ayyub Guliyev, Famil Mustafa, Peter Shustarev, Abbas Asgarov Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences 10, Istiglaliyyat Street, Baku, AZ-1001, the Republic of Azerbaijan е-mail: ebabayev@yahoo.com Key words: space weather, power failures, sudden cardiac death, traffic accidents, periodic comets Abstract. For getting more and better knowledge about the physical links between major space weather sources (solar, geomagnetic and cosmic ray activities) and short- and long-term effects on technical-engineering systems and biosphere, particularly, human life and health state in middle latitudes, we are conducting complex (theoretical, experimental and statistical) space weather studies in the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences. Part of main and recently obtained results of these collaborative investigations of potential space weather effects on functioning of power supply systems, sudden cardiac death mortality as well as an influence of changes of heliogeophysical conditions on dynamics of traffic accidents is briefly provided in this review paper. An influence of solar activity on changes of brightness curves of periodic comets 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann and 1P/Halley is investigated on the basis of data with about 1300 and 5900 estimations of brightness and using improved by authors calculations for visual magnitude of comets. 1. Introduction According to the US National Space Weather Programme (1995), space weather refers to the “conditions on the Sun and in the solar wind, magnetosphere, ionosphere, and thermosphere that can influence the performance and reliability of space-borne and ground-based technological systems and can endanger human life or health”. Solar (SA), geomagnetic (GMA) and cosmic ray (CRA) activities, as major constituents of space weather, can impact many different sectors that affect our daily life on the Earth - navigation, communications, GPS and satellites, pipelines, electric power systems as well as human health in space and in the Earth (Jansen et al, 2000; Daglis, 2001; Breus and Rapoport, 2003; Palmer et al, 2006). Technical systems are becoming more sensitive to the space environment and will continue so in the future due to developments in technology such as equipping with electronics, interconnected-nature and miniaturization. Knowledge about the relationship between space weather induced effects and geosphere, particularly, the biosphere and the human health state would allow to get better prepared beforehand for any future space weather event and its deleterious impacts anywhere (Jansen et al, 2000), in any geomagnetic latitudes. Unfortunately, limited comparison of results of investigations on possible effects to technologies and humans from solar and geomagnetic activity exists between studies conducted in high, middle and low latitudes. The importance of the discipline space weather (Bothmer and Daglis, 2007) is not only for the future of manned missions in space, but also for the present situation of life on Earth. For a clear understanding of solar, geomagnetic and cosmic ray activities’ potential effects on technological, biological and ecological systems, particularly in middle latitudes, we are conducting complex investigations on these problems in the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (Babayev, 2003, 2006a, 2006b). Alongside statistical investigations on the basis of astrophysical, technical and medical-biological data, there are conducted daily medical-physiological experiments in the Laboratory of Heliobiology (founders: Shamakhy Astrophysical Observatory and Medical Center “INAM” in Baku) as well as theoretical studies on the magnetic field in the solar wind, solar activity influence on comets, scintillation of microwave radio-signals, so on. Some recently obtained and selected results of the multidisciplinary and collaborative studies of space weather impacts on above-mentioned systems are briefly described in this paper. Paper includes results of: joint investigations (Ukraine) of space weather effects on electric power distribution and supply systems located in middle latitudes; collaborative studies (Israel) for revealing an influence of the changes in solar, geomagnetic and cosmic ray activities on the sudden cardiac death (SCD) mortality; collaborative studies (Russia) of influence of changes of heliogeophysical conditions on dynamics of the traffic accidents and investigations of solar activity influence on brightness changes of the selected periodical comets. 2. Space weather impacts on electric power supply systems in middle latitudes Space weather events affect also the power generation and supply network constructed for domestic and industrial use (Kappenman, 2003). Possible relationship between space weather effects (geomagnetic and 363