Auroras

Solar storm alert: On March 17, a big Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) erupted on the surface of the Sun. This CME is now on course for Earth and it could spark a geomagnetic storm soon, raising a potential threat of a solar storm. This development comes just days after another CME grazed Earth's magnetic field, triggering a minor G1-class geomagnetic storm. Know all about this solar storm alert. Also Read: NASA prepares for solar storm surge as new research unravels complexity of solar phenomena Solar storm alertAccording…

Solar storm 2024: As we approach the solar maximum, the Sun's activity is expected to increase further. The Sun has been showing its might in the last few weeks, with dangerous X-class solar flares spewing out on multiple occasions. All these solar phenomena hold the potential to cause damage on Earth to the electrical infrastructure. Technological instruments are especially at risk during these events, resulting in power blackouts and even disruption of radio communication. Just days after a G1-class geomagnetic storm…

In late-April 2023, Earth experienced a powerful geomagnetic storm that illuminated the skies with mesmerizing auroras, even in lower latitudes like Ladakh in India. Mostly, these auroras are restricted to the North Pole and northern regions of the world, but this geomagnetic storm was so powerful that it generated auroras that could be seen as far South as in Ladakh. Now, Indian astronomers have traced the origins of this intense storm back to the Sun. Notably, they used data collected from multiple space telescopes…

With 2024 approaching, the frequency of solar storms, solar flares, geomagnetic storms, and other solar phenomena is set to increase. According to various models and predictions by scientists, the solar cycle 25 will enter the peak of solar maximum in mid-2024. Solar maximum is when the Sun has the highest number of sunspots (active areas of solar flares). These sunspots are what send these vicious solar storms toward the Earth. A recent report has suggested that a solar storm is set to hit Earth and there's a chance…

We have been treated to some amazing aurora displays over recent months. The enigmatic lights are caused by charged particles from the Sun rushing across space and on arrival, causing the gas in the atmosphere to glow.Now researchers believe that even on exoplanets around pulsars we may just find aurora, and they may even be detectable.Pulsars are the remains of super massive stars that have reached the end of their life. During most of a stars life, they synthesise heavier and heavier elements in their core, the outward…

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain The shimmering green, red and purple curtains of the northern and southern lights—the auroras—may be the best-known phenomena lighting up the nighttime sky, but the most mysterious are the mauve and white streaks called Steve and their frequent companion, a glowing green "picket fence." First recognized in 2018 as…

The unrelenting solar activity on the Sun is not just affecting the Earth but all the nearby planets as well. In October, it was reported that an intense coronal mass ejection (CME) cloud hit Venus and the strong electromagnetic fluctuation resulted in eroding some of its atmosphere which released into space. Now, a full halo CME is set to hit Mars and trigger a solar storm on December 11, as per data from a NASA model. It too will have a similar effect on the red planet and it is expected to disintegrate a small amount…

Christmas lights might not be the only thing lighting up these dark December nights, as a solar storm is expected to bring bright northern lights to the Prairies this weekend.Aurora borealis is considered among the greatest natural wonders and scientists say it starts with the sun."The sun is sort of spewing off protons and electrons as a plasma in all directions, all the time, we call that the solar wind," said Bill Archer, mission manager at the Canadian Space Agency. "The magnetic field of the Earth actually forces the…

November 30, 20233 min readA strong geomagnetic storm is expected to hit Earth after several outbursts from the sun merged into one large blob of plasmaBy Daisy Dobrijevic & SPACE.comThe sun as seen by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft in late November 2023, including a large solar flare emitted from the southern half of the sun. Aurora chasers around the world are eagerly awaiting the arrival of a super-hot plasma eruption — known as a coronal mass ejection (CME) — that will slam into Earth tonight.The…

On Sunday, a coronal mass ejection (CME) struck the Earth sparking a 15-hour-long solar storm that peaked at G2-class intensity. The impact was so strong that auroras were visible across most of Europe despite it being a moonlit night. As the planet is still recovering from it, NASA models have detected yet another CME that is partially targeting the southern hemisphere of the planet. It can reach the Earth by November 30, and early reports suggest that while the storm is expected to be a minor one, it will still spark…