The world has been looking to the sky this month as a powerful solar storm has been producing colourful light shows at unusual latitudes. The strongest solar storm in more than two decades struck earth, triggering spectacular auroras.Enjoy learning more about this phenomenon:
Have you heard of the1859 Carrington Event? It was the largest recorded Geomagnetic storm.
From May 3 to May 9 2024, NASA observed 82 notable solar flares, mainly from two active regions on the Sun. Eight of these flares were X-class, with the strongest peaking at X5.8. On May 14, the Sun emitted an even larger flare (X8.7), the largest of Solar Cycle 25.
Geomagnetic Storm: The associated coronal mass ejections (CMEs) reached Earth, creating a long-lasting geomagnetic storm with a rating of G5 (the highest level) on the geomagnetic storm scale. This storm hadn’t been seen since 2003.
Auroras: Brilliant auroras were visible globally due to the storm’s impact on Earth’s magnetic field. It’s one of the strongest displays of auroras in the past 500 years.
Solar Maximum: Interestingly, the Sun’s current activity cycle, known as Solar Cycle 25, is predicted to peak between January and October 2024, one year earlier than previously estimated
A couple of links explaining Geomagnetic storms and solar flares:
Stunning aurora captured across the USA: https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?&q=current+solar+storm+over+new+zeal and+&&mid=FFCB4005F4147F9E6174FFCB4005F4147F9E6174&&FORM=VRDGAR