Northern Lights Set to Grace Night Sky Once More During "Intense" Solar Storm

Prepare for the captivating return of the Northern Lights amidst an intense solar storm, illuminating the night sky with their majestic dance. Don't miss this celestial spectacle, as nature puts on a breathtaking display of color and light for all to behold.

Washington: Auroras illuminated skies across vast areas of the planet for the second consecutive night on Saturday, following their stunning display the previous day that captivated observers from the United States to Tasmania to the Bahamas. A potent solar storm, potentially extending into Sunday, has sparked these extraordinary celestial phenomena typically associated with the far northern regions, hence their moniker "northern lights."

"After the first night, I feel like I've experienced a historic moment in France... It was incredibly intense, filled with both solar particles and emotions," shared Eric Lagadec, an astrophysicist from the Observatoire de Cote d'Azur, expressing his sentiments on social media.

Once more, amid an "extreme" solar storm, the Northern Lights are anticipated to grace the night sky. They dazzled observers from the United States to Tasmania to the Bahamas on Friday night. A powerful solar storm continues, igniting these celestial displays typically seen in the far north. Astrophysicist Eric Lagadec described the experience as "historic," laden with both solar particles and emotions. As reports of sightings trickled in from the United States late Saturday, enthusiasts were advised to seek out clear, northern views away from artificial lights. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), the first of several coronal mass ejections (CMEs) occurred just after 1600 GMT on Friday.

Later, it was upgraded to an "extreme" geomagnetic storm—the first since the "Halloween Storms" of October 2003, which caused blackouts in Sweden and infrastructure damage in South Africa. Friday's storm reached level five geomagnetic conditions, the highest on the scale. Saturday saw G3 to G5 conditions, with G4 or higher predicted for Sunday and G3 possibly extending into Monday. Fortunately, no major disruptions to power or communications networks were reported this time, despite initial concerns from authorities. The SWPC noted only "preliminary reports of power grid irregularities, degradation to high-frequency communications, GPS, and potentially satellite navigation."

Elon Musk, whose Starlink satellite internet operator boasts approximately 5,000 satellites in low Earth orbit, remarked that his satellites were "under a lot of pressure, but holding up so far."

On the other hand, China's National Center for Space Weather raised a "red alert" on Saturday morning, cautioning that the storm would affect communications and navigation across most regions of the country, as reported by state news agency Xinhua.

Media outlets reported sightings of auroras in the northern half of China.

Worldwide excitement

The excitement surrounding the phenomenon and the surreal images of pink, green, and purple night skies emerged worldwide, from Mont Saint-Michel on the French coast to Payette, Idaho, in the western United States, and even to Australia's island state of Tasmania.

In contrast to solar flares, which reach Earth at the speed of light in about eight minutes, coronal mass ejections (CMEs) move at a slower pace, averaging around 800 kilometers (500 miles) per second, as noted by officials.

These CMEs originated from a colossal sunspot cluster spanning 17 times the width of our planet.

During the day, individuals equipped with eclipse glasses can also observe the sunspot cluster. As the Sun approaches the peak of an 11-year cycle, activity intensifies. Brent Gordon from NOAA urged the public to use their phone cameras to capture the night sky, even if auroras weren't visible to the naked eye. He emphasized the surprising details captured in photographs compared to what's seen directly. Fluctuating magnetic fields from geomagnetic storms can induce currents in long wires, such as power lines, possibly causing blackouts. Additionally, long pipelines may become electrified, posing engineering challenges.

Spacecraft face risks from high doses of radiation during geomagnetic storms, but Earth's atmosphere acts as a shield. NASA has a dedicated team focusing on astronaut safety and can relocate astronauts on the International Space Station to better shielded areas. Even species with internal compasses, like pigeons, could be affected. Handlers have observed reduced homing behavior in pigeons during geomagnetic storms, as noted by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The Carrington Event, the most powerful geomagnetic storm on record, occurred in September 1859 and was named after British astronomer Richard Carrington.

Source: ndtv