A strong solar storm is peaking, which could bring some interesting, colourful lights in the sky over Northern California and Alabama. Such lights normally occur much farther north, so this is exciting news!
Strong Solar Storm
This was due to a strong solar flare and coronal mass ejection from the sun on October 7. This ranked first as level 4 of a range that goes from 1 to 5. The Earth received this storm on October 10 at 11:17 a.m. ET and could still be feeling it by Friday. Wow, the storm moved fast, at about 1.5 million miles per hour!
What Are Auroras?
Auroras are stunning natural light phenomena created when solar particles collide with the Earth’s magnetic field and atmosphere. Such lights are said to produce colours of green, pink, and purple and are visible near the North and South Poles. The lights are often called northern lights (aurora borealis) north and southern lights (aurora australis) south.
Impact of Solar Storm
All said, however, this solar storm can bring its set of problems too: communications may be interrupted; power grid and satellites may be affected according to the warning issued by the National Weather Service’s Space Weather Prediction Center.
Science Behind It
All this began with X-class flares that had originated from the sun. X-flares are giant explosions of energy and are often associated with the ejection of CMEs, enormous clouds of gas and magnetic fields. Upon reaching Earth, they may rattle our magnetic field causing geomagnetic storms.
The Space Weather Prediction Center said that such storms can reach Earth and destroy technology in space and here. The Space Weather Prediction Center said that such disturbances were reported to FEMA and other space satellite monitoring bodies.
Past G4 and G5 Solar Storms
In comparison, G4 storms occur quite frequently while G5 solar storm are an extremely rare occurrence. The most recent extreme G5 solar storm occurred in 2003, resulting in blackouts in certain areas. According to some analyses, the chances for this storm to be G5 stand at a 25% possibility, through which auroras may be seen even farther south.
Current Observations
As we are moving toward the summit of a sunspot cycle, scientists have noted heightened solar activity-a phenomenon called solar maximum. Indeed, in 2003, scientists reported witnessing more than usual solar flares that enhanced the chances of witnessing auroras.
People can even see auroras when the sun was in one of those periods where its activities were lower than what the sun has been averaging for centuries past. This recent condition of the sun has heightened the chances that U.S. citizens will be able to observe this phenomenon of light. Another reason that has made it easier for people to observe auroras is that the evenings of fall are even darker.
View the Auroras
Want to know if aurorae will be viewable from your location? Well, you can take a look at this real-time updated NOAA dashboard that displays where the aurora should appear, based on today’s conditions.
More Potential Interferences
The researchers do not think this storm will be as strident as a few of the earlier G5 storms because, for instance, most power and satellite systems were able to avoid serious problems during the storm that hit in May.
Even though the storms created strong currents in the power grid, most systems performed well under them. Scientists continue monitoring the sun’s activity closely to prepare for future storms.
What’s Next
Experts will not predict whether we have already passed the maximum of solar activity. The big storms can occur after maximum activity as well, so it is not yet time to downgrade the attention to the activity of the sun. Probably, in the next two months we will be witness to more spectacular manifestations of auroras.
FAQs
1. What is an aurora?
Auroras are caused when particles from the sun collide with Earth’s magnetic field and atmosphere.
2. Where can I view an aurora?
It seems like the auroras mainly appear in northern and southern polar regions but sometimes come down south when the solar storm is powerful enough.
3. How fast is the moving solar storm?
It moves at 1.5 million miles per hour.
4. What is a coronal mass ejection (CME)?
A CME refers to a very humongous gas and magnetic field cloud eruption from the sun’s atmosphere.
5. Can solar storms break technology?
Can solar storms break technology? The answer is yes. Solar storms can disrupt communications, power grids, and satellite operations.
Conclusion
A Strong solar storm will bring tremendous auroras over parts of the United States, and many places will be able to see it. Many scientists would love to show this kind of view to people. It also reminds them that the sun has great power to impact our planet. Stay tuned for the updates; meanwhile, appreciate the scenic beauty of northern lights if they arise in your place!
