Welcome to our new post! In this article, I will present some interesting facts about geomagnetic storms. Get ready to learn surprising things about this phenomenon and impress your friends with these fascinating details.
The name "aurora borealis" was coined in 1619 in honor of Aurora, the Roman goddess of dawn, by Galileo Galilei.
In May 2024, there was significant activity of solar eruptions and coronal mass ejections on the Sun. To give you an idea, these emissions of electromagnetic fields and charged particles were so intense that they created the most powerful solar storm in two decades that reached Earth.
There was also intense aurora borealis activity, breaking the record for the largest aurora display in 500 years.
Did you know that NASA has a website that shows the probability of auroras in real-time worldwide? The website is called https://aurorasaurus.org/, and you can find the link in the video description. The site receives reports of aurora sightings to better study this phenomenon and train the prediction model for special cases.
How are auroras formed?
They are formed by the ejection of particles at high temperatures from the Sun's outermost layer, the corona. These particles travel towards interplanetary space and have their own electromagnetic field. This field is called the interplanetary magnetic field and interacts with the electromagnetic fields of planets, causing the visual phenomenon we can observe in the sky.
This phenomenon is like a dance of particles between Earth and the Sun. The two electromagnetic fields connect, trapping particles from the solar wind and Earth's ionosphere. This connection breaks into two parts, one controlled by the Sun's magnetic field and the other by Earth's. The portion closest to Earth shrinks, accelerating the particles. And where does the light of the auroras come from? It comes from the collision between these charged particles and the gas molecules in Earth's atmosphere.
Why do auroras have different colors?
The color varies according to altitude. Atoms above 120 miles appear red. Those below 60 miles appear pink. While those between these two ranges can appear blue or green. Auroras usually have the shape of an arc, diffuse glow, or pulsating patches.
Why is it important to study this phenomenon?
These solar storms can destroy or disrupt our navigation, communication, power, and transportation systems. Studying solar storms also helps to understand the impact of space weather on satellites and manned missions.
An interesting fact is that auroras are present at the north and south poles every day, but to see them, certain conditions must be met, such as a dark sky, no clouds, a view of the horizon to the south or north, little light pollution, whether solar activity is at the peak or minimum of its annual cycle, and the intensity of the solar wind.
During geomagnetic storms, particles in the magnetosphere are highly energized. This results in more intense auroras that can be seen from farther away, for example, at the border between the United States and Canada, and in northern England and India. In 2011, a rare aurora was seen in Alabama. The only planet where auroras cannot be seen is Mercury.
📚 Data source:
No comments:
Post a Comment