12/25/2023 0 Comments Chunkks of sun corona stormThe last solar maximum stemmed from 2011 into 2015 before the sun nearly went dormant.īut on Nov. "The current solar minimum is about to come to an end." "This one could be a sign that the sun is 'waking up,'" Samuhel said. Monday saw a C7.4-class solar flare - one of the strongest recent flares aimed at Earth, heralding a transition period into a more active part of Solar Cycle 25 that could affect the planet. Nearly every tier then has a scale from 1 to 9 following the letter, though X-class flares have no upper limit. While solar storms are ranked on a scale of G-1 through G-5, solar flares are ranked on a five-tier scale with A-class flares as the smallest, followed by B, C, M and X-class flares. The sun is currently transitioning from a solar minimum to the next solar maximum, which is forecast to reach its climax in the first half of the 2020s. The solar minimum refers to the period of time within this 11-year cycle with low solar activity. These stronger flares typically occur during a "solar maximum," or the part of the 11-year solar cycle that consists of a period of high solar activity in the form of more numerous sunspots and a correlating higher number of CMEs. "Many times events that are hyped like this one don't pan out." "The prediction of these solar storms is very tough, harder than forecasting the weather," Samuhel said. However, Samuhel warns that the storm may not play through. from Boston to Chicago to Seattle, although seeing the aurora from in the cities themselves will not be possible due to light pollution. The stronger the storm, the farther south the auroras are seen," Samuhel said.Īt the intensity of a G-3 storm, there's the possibility that the northern lights could reach places in the U.S. "It's all about the strength of the solar storm. The breathtaking phenomenon is a regular occurrence close to the North and South poles, but it can occasionally be seen in more populated areas in Europe and the United States during strong geomagnetic storms. ![]() In the Northern Hemisphere, the lights are known as aurora borealis, and they can glow in a variety of colors, including vivid greens and purples. It is the interaction between the charged particles and the Earth's atmosphere that results in colorful swirls of light known as aurora. When these waves of charged particles reach the Earth, the planet's magnetic field funnels them toward the North and South poles where they collide with the planet's atmosphere. The strength of these storms plays into which areas may catch a view of the stunning lights. FROM 2015: NASA captures one of the most intense solar flares on cameraĪ solar storm, also known as a geomagnetic storm, is when the solar particles interact with Earth's upper atmosphere and produce auroras, AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist and Astronomy Blogger David Samuhel explained.
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