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Under optimal viewing conditions, the stargazing website Earth Sky notes, about a quarter of Lyrids shooting stars produce persistent trains—lingering streaks of light that are the result of gases being ionized as the meteors enter Earth’s atmosphere.—Gretchen Rundorff, WIRED, 2 Jan. 2025 The ionizing nature of X-rays can break chemical bonds, damage living cells and distort the biological structures under investigation.—The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 17 Dec. 2024 Engineers working on the technology say microwave power transmissions would be safe, unlike ionizing radiation, which is harmful to people or other things in its path.—IEEE Spectrum, 6 Feb. 2023 Read more Space Weather Radio Blackouts Anticipated As Sunspot Turns Towards Earth
How and When To See the Northern Lights: The Best Way To Find Auroras
Solar flares cause radio blackouts at frequencies below 30 MHz due to them ionizing the Earth's ionosphere.—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ionize
Word History
Etymology
ion + -ize, after German ionisiren (now ionisieren) or French ioniser
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