Powerful Solar Storms Create Dazzling Auroras
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This past weekend, the Sun let its presence be felt by unleashing a series of massive solar flares. The resulting auroras were visible across the Northern Hemisphere and even parts of the Southern Hemisphere, treating stargazers to a rare and breathtaking spectacle.
The first solar flare struck Earth at 9:23 pm EDT on May 10, 2024. It was followed by at least four more flares. They slammed into our planet's outer atmosphere one by one until the early hours of May 13, 2024. Notably, most of these flares were classified as X-class. This is the most powerful type of surface explosion the Sun can produce.
The flares all originated from a sunspot region named AR3664. The massive area, which is 15 times wider than Earth, is home to 58 individual sunspots. AR3664 is so large that it could be seen with eclipse glasses during the total solar eclipse in April 2024.
The radiation from the solar flares is blocked by Earth’s atmosphere and poses no danger to humans or animals. However, the coronal mass ejections (CME) — clouds of protons and other charged particles that follow the flares within about 20 minutes — can temporarily disrupt our satellite systems, GPS tracking devices, and power grids.
However, the brief interruptions are well worth it. As the electrically charged CMEs enter our atmosphere, they collide with gases like oxygen and nitrogen to create breathtaking auroras. These spectacular light displays typically only occur near the Northern and Southern Hemisphere poles, where the Earth's magnetic field is strongest.
But the recent solar storms were unusually strong, producing auroras that could be seen across the US. The stunning light displays were also visible in Canada, Europe, and Northern China. In the Southern Hemisphere, they could be seen in Chile, Argentina, New Zealand, and Australia.
Resources: Livescience.com, Space.com, NOAA.gov. NASA.gov
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54 Comments
- rishaan114 monthsWow, it must've been cool to see it, wish I could've seen it too. Sadly, we live in a low-horizon suburb surrounded by lots of trees and houses which hid away the view :( Would've been a wonderful and splendid sight!
- lstewart64 monthsCool I did not see any of it I wish I did but my parents saw it and took a picture and showed me
- conorb1234 monthswish I got to see it! did any of you see it?
- sophiaak4 monthsno i was at school :( XD
- ingojones4 monthsOMG! I saw it and it was beautiful. It was sort of in a pattern.
- moonwatcher90904 monthsI saw it I was underneath it becuase I live in Whyoming
- tiger1299454 monthsI Want to see IT!!!!!
- biggienono_154 monthsIt was too foggy in my area to see it. I wish I was lucky like you guys!
- mya1114 monthsNot for me at all. It wasint even foggy where I live I live in summer county
- troublemaker874 monthsI wish I got to see it because it's so beautiful
- conorb1234 monthssame
- sophiaak4 monthsyep I know I didn't see it as well I'm in southern china
- oreocookie644 monthsI didn't see it either these photos and videos were so beautiful. I was asleep and my parents didn't see.
- wolfy1004 monthssooooo pretty
- bethanybeach4 monthsI had seen this and it was so pretty and I hope you got to see it too!
- troublemaker874 monthsI'm glad you got to see it because I didn't
- bethanybeach4 monthsThat is a bummer that you didn't get to see it
- karenhsu4 monthsSo pretty!😍
- cowman144 monthsI did not know this was a thing