How are the Northern Lights created?
They begin to appear when energetic solar particles strike Earth's upper atmosphere at up to 45 million mph, or 72 million kph, but our planet's magnetic field shields us from the impact, while producing beautiful Auroras in the sky known as the Northern Lights.
G4-Geomagnetic Storm May 10th, 2024
According to the Space Weather Prediction Center, on Friday evening, May 10th, 2024, satellites recorded conditions that reached level 5 on their 5-point geomagnetic activity scale. This was deemed an "extreme" event and the first storm to reach that high of a level since October 28, 2003. Even though on Saturday, May 11, 2024, conditions calmed down to a category 4 storm, more solar flare activity was predicted to cause geomagnetic activity over the weekend, possibly continuing until early May 13th–17th, 2024. High to extremely high solar activity is anticipated, with a higher chance of more flares in the top two classes, M and X. According to scientists from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration and Space Weather Prediction Center, the active region is a gigantic sunspot complex that is around 17 times the width of Earth. On Friday evening, May 10th, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration witnessed the discharge of another enormous X-class solar flare from the Sun. This flare, which they rated at X5.4 on their scale, was one of the strongest of the recent activity.
What are X-Class Solar Flares?
The strongest solar explosions from the sun are called X-class flares, and while they can continue for a few minutes to several hours, these high magnitudes are less frequent. However, this week has seen a surge in the sun's intense flares, which has enhanced Earth's northern light displays. NASA described solar flares as "powerful bursts of energy" in a statement regarding the flares. Solar eruptions and flares can endanger astronauts and spacecraft as well as have an effect on radio communications, electric power systems, and navigation signals.
A notice for a geomagnetic storm this powerful was last issued on January 21st-22nd, 2005. The Space Weather Prediction Center stated that "watches at this level are very rare." Prior to that, on October 28th, 2003, the largest sunspot produced an Aurora. At the time, it was responsible for one of the biggest solar flares ever observed. The sun's outer atmosphere released magnetic energy and a swiftly moving gas explosion known as a coronal mass ejection (CME). A geomagnetic storm soon developed, becoming the sixth most powerful storm in more than 70 years. In less than twenty-four hours, the sun-generated yet another strong coronal mass eruption headed towards Earth, closely succeeded by an equally intense geomagnetic storm. Technological systems on Earth and in space felt the full impact of solar flares and the ensuing geomagnetic storms, though the Earth's atmosphere shields humans from the harmful radiation and high-energy particles they produce. Even if the Great Halloween Solar Storms of 2003 tricked our technology, they also brought us a treat. On October 29th and 30th, 2003 a broad middle and even low-latitude aurora was carried by the intense and protracted geomagnetic storms. People have reported seeing auroras in Texas, Florida, and California. People reported amazing aurora viewing from Australia, central Europe, and even as far south as the Mediterranean countries.
Though Aurora’s may be seen in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, travelers are more likely to visit the northern equivalent to witnessing the spectacle. The sun's activity, which modifies space conditions, is what gives rise to the Northern Lights. An aurora may result from space weather, which is influenced by geoeffective solar activity like solar flares and coronal mass ejections and affects the region between Earth and the sun.
What is space weather aside from weather specifically here on Earth?
Storms, wind, and rain are common elements of Earth's weather. But scientists are keeping an eye on space phenomena that are closely related to weather on Earth, even though they exist outside of our atmosphere. After being coined to characterize the conditions in space in the late 20th century, the phrase "space weather" has gained popularity among heliophysicists, meteorologists, and skywatchers. Studying space weather requires us to look beyond what we observe on Earth's surface. Space weather is characterized by geospace and interplanetary circumstances (such as plasma temperatures, particle densities, solar wind speeds, and magnetic field orientations) and produces results different from terrestrial weather, as opposed to wind, rain, thunder, and seasonal variations.
What causes Space Storms?
Everything begins with the Sun, our dynamic star that changes constantly in accordance with the sun's cycle of activity. The region known as the heliosphere varies in tandem with the Sun. Huge amounts of energy are stored by variations in the Sun's magnetic field as the solar cycle progresses. Frequently, this energy slowly fades away, either by heating the Sun's atmosphere or being carried away by the solar wind. Occasionally, a small portion of it is released abruptly, setting off strong reactions that can result in extreme space weather close to Earth. Events like solar flares and eruptions happen more frequently during years of high activity, known as solar maximum, and release massive amounts of extra energy in a matter of minutes—much more energy than Earth has produced in the history of humanity! These occurrences are so strong that they are felt tens of millions of miles away on Earth and beyond, as well as on the surface of the Sun.
What exactly is an Aurora?
Aurora’s in the sky are what we perceive to be the Northern Lights…
Every breathtaking aurora we see in the sky is caused by a geomagnetic storm. The space weather specialists know the enigma behind these shimmering curtains of neon-like light. Aurora is not the quiet before the storm in space, but rather the display of lights following a storm. Massive solar activity that alters space conditions is the source of auroras over the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
Much less powerful phenomena that result in active circumstances, including rapid solar wind streams from coronal holes, can also cause auroras. When solar particles become entangled in Earth's magnetic field, the vibrant aurora appears. The renowned brilliant green and reddish colors of the aurora are caused by interactions between the particles and atmospheric gas molecules. The most common color we see with auroras is yellow-green, which is produced by a mixture of gases and oxygen. The most visible colors to the human eye are pink or red. While the red hue is caused by excited oxygen atoms that are visible to lower latitudes as it occurs on higher latitudes, the blue or purple color is attributed to nitrogen.
Highly organized ribbons, or sheets as thin as a few hundred meters that can extend hundreds of kilometers into the sky, are a common way that aurora emerges. As the aurora changes, these sheets ripple and travel across the sky due to variations in the Earth's magnetic field's structure in the magnetosphere's "tail," which is located hundreds of thousands of kilometers away. The magnetosphere resembles a raindrop in shape, with a slender tail extending away from the sun and a large, rounded end, or "bow," facing the sun. The thin sheets we observe on Earth may be traced back across space to the location where the "magnetotail" is electrified and stretched by interaction with the solar wind and the interplanetary magnetic field. Each magnetic field line in the tail connects back to Earth through the magnetic poles.
Let’s Explore Space Weather in more detail…
Space weather occurs on a much greater scale, even though aurora lights are most commonly seen close to the poles—the aurora borealis to the north and the aurora australis to the south. Solar matter can be propelled to the furthest reaches of our solar system, beyond our position 93 million kilometers from the sun. The energy released by these eruptions is equivalent to what a contemporary nuclear reactor could generate over hundreds of thousands of years of continuous operation. The best months to see auroras in North America are March and November when there is a slight decrease in cloud cover. Although visibility is reduced by cloudy or gloomy sky, scientists are still unsure of why auroras are more frequently seen in certain months. Usually, one can only see auroras close to local midnight. Although auroras have been seen within an hour before and after sunrise on better nights, they are usually not visible during the day. Auroras appear as shimmering or wavy curtains that can reach the horizon in brilliant reds, greens, yellows, and blues. One possible source of the green aurora, known as "diffuse," is the imprisoned electrons that encounter the environment after acquiring a small amount of additional energy, a process known as "pitch angle scattering." Either way, both visitors and residents of the Arctic are curious about the lights.
What connection exists between the Magnetosphere and the Northern Lights?
These strong surges alter our magnetosphere when they reach Earth. The area of space encircling Earth known as the magnetosphere is where Earth's magnetic field predominates over interplanetary space's magnetic field. Solar winds that enter the magnetosphere must circumvent our magnetic bubble because electrically conducting plasmas in the magnetosphere and the solar wind are not allowed to cross one another. The magnetosphere's form is influenced by the wind's force as it enters and exits the region. Earth's magnetic field is constantly changing due to solar wind buffeting it, changing both its size and shape. Magnetospheric electrons travel along magnetic field lines in the polar regions toward the direction of Earth, where they are lost to the atmosphere and can be accelerated by a variety of processes. They clashwith nitrogen and oxygen atoms in the upper atmosphere of Earth there. Auroral light is released as a result of this interaction.
There are specific times of year and conditions that increase the likelihood of seeing these amazing "dancing" lights. A skywatcher's chances of seeing auroras increase with proximity to greater latitudes. There's a catch, though. The geographic and magnetic poles of Earth are not aligned. Views are better from the magnetic poles near Earth than from the geographic poles, where the magnetic field converges.
An even more astounding fact is that every magnetic field line that becomes active at the north magnetic pole has a companion in the south. This means that while watchers in Alaska witness the dancing and moving auroral ribbons in the sky, those in the Antarctic could be watching their own auroral show in the sky. The companion of the northern auroral ribbon will exhibit a corresponding pattern of coordinated motions, though not precisely in mirror image, for every twist and wave. A link spanning over 100,000 kilometers allows two spectators separated by thousands of kilometers on Earth—oceans and continents—to witness almost the exact same auroral phenomenon.
What are space weather conditions, What does space weather entail?
Breaking down Space Weather Categories…
S1 (Minor) Solar Radiation Storm Impacts
Biological: None.
Satellite operations: None.
Other systems: Minor impacts on HF radio in the polar regions.
S2 (Moderate) Solar Radiation Storm Impacts
Biological: Passengers and crew in high-flying aircraft at high latitudes may be exposed to elevated radiation risk.
Satellite operations: Infrequent single-event upsets possible.
Other systems: Small effects on HF propagation through the polar regions and navigation at polar cap locations possibly affected.
S 3 (Strong) Solar Radiation Storm Impacts
Biological: Radiation hazard avoidance is recommended for astronauts on EVA; passengers and crew in high-flying aircraft at high latitudes may be exposed to radiation risk.
Satellite operations: Single-event upsets, noise in imaging systems, and a slight reduction of efficiency in solar panels are likely.
Other systems: Degraded HF radio propagation through the polar regions and navigation position errors likely.
S 4 (Severe) Solar Radiation Storm Impacts
Biological: Unavoidable radiation hazard to astronauts on EVA; passengers and crew in high-flying aircraft at high latitudes may be exposed to radiation risk.
Satellite operations: May experience memory device problems and noise on imaging systems; star-tracker problems may cause orientation problems, and solar panel efficiency can be degraded.
Other systems: Blackout of HF radio communications through the polar regions and increased navigation errors over several days are likely.
S 5 (Extreme) Solar Radiation Storm Impacts
Biological: Unavoidable high radiation hazard to astronauts on EVA (extra-vehicular activity); passengers and crew in high-flying aircraft at high latitudes may be exposed to radiation risk.
Satellite operations: Satellites may be rendered useless, memory impacts can cause loss of control, may cause serious noise in image data, star-trackers may be unable to locate sources; permanent damage to solar panels possible.
Other systems: Complete blackout of HF (high frequency) communications possible through the polar regions, and position errors make navigation operations extremely difficult.
G 1 (Minor) Geomagnetic Storm Impacts
Power systems: Weak power grid fluctuations can occur.
Spacecraft operations: Minor impact on satellite operations possible.
Other systems: Migratory animals are affected at this and higher levels; aurora is commonly visible at high latitudes (northern Michigan and Maine).
G 2 (Moderate) Geomagnetic Storm Impacts
Power systems: High-latitude power systems may experience voltage alarms, long-duration storms may cause transformer damage.
Spacecraft operations: Corrective actions to orientation may be required by ground control; possible changes in drag affect orbit predictions.
Other systems: HF radio propagation can fade at higher latitudes, and aurora has been seen as low as New York and Idaho (typically 55° geomagnetic lat.).
G3 (Strong) Geomagnetic Storm Impacts
Power systems: Voltage corrections may be required, false alarms triggered on some protection devices.
Spacecraft operations: Surface charging may occur on satellite components, drag may increase on low-Earth-orbit satellites, and corrections may be needed for orientation problems.
Other systems: Intermittent satellite navigation and low-frequency radio navigation problems may occur, HF radio may be intermittent, and aurora has been seen as low as Illinois and Oregon (typically 50° geomagnetic lat.).
G4 (Severe) Geomagnetic Storm Impacts
Power systems: Possible widespread voltage control problems and some protective systems will mistakenly trip out key assets from the grid.
Spacecraft operations: May experience surface charging and tracking problems, corrections may be needed for orientation problems.
Other systems: Induced pipeline currents affect preventive measures, HF radio propagation is sporadic, satellite navigation is degraded for hours, low-frequency radio navigation is disrupted, and aurora has been seen as low as Alabama and northern California (typically 45° geomagnetic lat.).
G5 (Extreme) Geomagnetic Storm Impacts
Power systems: Widespread voltage control problems and protective system problems can occur, and some grid systems may experience complete collapse or blackouts. Transformers may experience damage.
Spacecraft operations: May experience extensive surface charging, problems with orientation, uplink/downlink, and tracking satellites.
Other systems: Pipeline currents can reach hundreds of amps, HF (high frequency) radio propagation may be impossible in many areas for one to two days, satellite navigation may be degraded for days, low-frequency radio navigation can be out for hours, and aurora has been seen as low as Florida and southern Texas (typically 40° geomagnetic lat.).
R1 (Minor) Radio Blackout Impacts
HF Radio: Weak or minor degradation of HF radio communication on the sunlit side, occasional loss of radio contact.
Navigation: Low-frequency navigation signals are degraded for brief intervals.
R3 (Strong) Radio Blackout Impacts
HF Radio: Wide area blackout of HF radio communication, loss of radio contact for about an hour on the sunlit side of Earth.
Navigation: Low-frequency navigation signals degraded for about an hour.
R 4 (Severe) Radio Blackout Impacts
HF Radio: HF radio communication blackout on most of the sunlit side of Earth for one to two hours. HF radio contact is lost during this time.
Navigation: Outages of low-frequency navigation signals cause increased errors in positioning for one to two hours. Minor disruptions of satellite navigation are possible on the sunlit side of Earth.
R 5 (Extreme) Radio Blackout Impacts
HF Radio: Complete HF (high frequency) radio blackout on the entire sunlit side of the Earth lasting for a number of hours. This results in no HF radio contact with mariners and en-route aviators in this sector.
Navigation: Low-frequency navigation signals used by maritime and general aviation systems experience outages on the sunlit side of the Earth for many hours, causing loss in positioning. Increased satellite navigation errors in positioning for several hours on the sunlit side of Earth, which may spread into the night side.
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