-
3933 - SUN - our
sun's solar cycle? March 24, 2023,
sees the strongest solar storm in nearly 6 years. The powerful solar storm supercharged
auroras as far south as Colorado and New Mexico.
-
------ ---------------- 3933 - SUN - our sun's solar cycle?
- The
geomagnetic storm peaked as a severe G4 on the 5-grade scale used by the U.S.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to assess the severity
of space weather events. The storm's unexpected ferocity not only made auroras
visible as far south as New Mexico in the U.S., but it also forced spaceflight
company Rocket Lab to delay a launch by 90 minutes.
-
- Geomagnetic
storms are disturbances to Earth's magnetic field caused by solar material from
“coronal mass ejections” (CME), large expulsions of plasma and magnetic field
from the sun's atmosphere. A huge solar
tornado as tall as 14 Earths hurls plasma cloud into space.
-
- NOAA's
National Space Weather Service originally announced a "geomagnetic storm
watch" on March 22, to come into effect on 23-25 March with possible
moderate G2 storm conditions expected on March 24. Forecasters weren't
completely caught off-guard, they however didn't expect a magnitude G4 storm.
-
- The G4 storm
caused high aurora activity in the northern polar regions, bright red band
across the globe. NOAA ranks
geomagnetic storms on a scale running from G1, which could cause an increase in
auroral activity around the poles and minor fluctuations in power supplies, up
to G5.
-
- G5 includes
extreme cases like the Carrington “Event”, a colossal solar storm that occurred
September 1859, which disrupted telegraph services all over the world and
triggered auroras so bright and powerful that they were visible as far south as
the Bahamas.
-
- Strong
geomagnetic storms increase the density of gases in Earth's upper atmosphere,
thereby increasing the drag on satellites and other spacecraft. In February
2022 SpaceX lost up to 40 brand-new Starlink satellites when they failed to
reach orbit after being launched into a minor geomagnetic storm.
-
- Another
side effect of powerful geomagnetic storms is the incredible aurora displays
they trigger. When energized particles from the sun slam into Earth's
atmosphere at speeds of up to 45 million mph, our planet's magnetic field
funnels the particles toward the poles.
-
- The
ensuing supercharging of molecules in Earth's atmosphere triggers the colorful
spectacles, which usually remain limited to areas at high latitudes. Skywatchers around the world are treated to a
dazzling auroral display that reaches as far south as Colorado and New Mexico.
-
- Astronomers
can expect more extreme space weather events like this powerful geomagnetic
storm as the sun builds towards a peak in its 11-year solar activity cycle,
expected to occur in 2025.
-
March 26, 2023 SUN - our
sun's solar cycle? 3933
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----- Comments appreciated and Pass it on to
whomever is interested. ---
--- Some reviews are at: -------------- http://jdetrick.blogspot.com -----
-- email feedback, corrections, request for
copies or Index of all reviews
--- to:
------
jamesdetrick@comcast.net
------ “Jim Detrick” -----------
---------------------
--- Monday, March 27, 2023 ---------------------------
-
No comments:
Post a Comment