The sun erupted on March 22 at 9:45 PM EDT (0145 GMT March 23) with magnitude X Solar flare It unleashed a barrage of super-hot plasma towards Earth in what is known as… Coronal mass ejection (poison).
The active attack hit our planet at 10:37 a.m. EDT (1437 GMT) on Sunday, March 24, creating an intense G4 geomagnetic storm, the most powerful solar storm. Since 2017.
Geomagnetic storms, also known as solar storms, are disturbances Earth's magnetic field Caused by large expulsions of plasma and magnetic fields from Sun atmosphere In the form of continuing medical education. US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Rows Geomagnetic storms on a scale starting from G1, which can cause increased auroral activity around the poles and slight fluctuations in energy supply, up to G5. This more extreme level can cause a complete blackout of HF (high frequency) radio on the entire sunlit side of LandIt lasts for several hours.
Related: A large-scale solar storm has struck spacecraft near the Sun, Earth and even Mars
NOAA issued a Magnetic storm warning on March 24 He explained in detail that with G4 class levels it might be possible Seeing the northern lights As far south as Alabama to Northern California.
Unfortunately, our planet had other ideas.
“Could this be a fading #solarstorm?” Solar physicist Tamitha Skov It was published last night (March 24) on X. “Although this storm will last for hours, whether it will have a southward magnetic field is key to large aurora displays.” Skov continued.
Could this be a #fadingsolarstorm? Although this storm will last for hours, whether it will have a southward magnetic field is key to large aurora displays. In Solar Orbiter (see figure below), the storm has a weak “southeast-north” configuration, meaning the axis… https://t.co/wrIw6nMrsF pic.twitter.com/0jNNUb26duMarch 24, 2024
When molecules are activated from the sun hit Earth's atmosphere Our planet's magnetic field directs it toward the poles. Overcharging of molecules in Earth's atmosphere results in colorful scenes, which usually remain restricted to areas at the high latitudes of the aurora borealis (northern lights) and low latitudes of the aurora australis (southern lights).
Unfortunately, for aurora chasers across Europe and North America, the timing of the CME's arrival meant that much of the auroral activity was lost to daylight, and by the time darkness fell, the Earth had apparently “closed its door” on the aurora with Strong shift to the north. .
Bz indicates the north-south direction of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), which is carried across Solar System By charged particles from the sun. Bz is a key player in determining how Solar wind It interacts with the Earth's magnetosphere and affects auroral activity According to Spaceweatherlive.com.
If Bz is pointed south, the IMF is in contact with the Earth's magnetosphere which is pointing north. Just like two bar magnets with opposite poles attract each other, a strong southward Bz could disrupt our planet's magnetosphere and allow particles to fall into our atmosphere along our magnetic field lines. You can think of southward Bz as an “open door” for the particles that fuel the aurora.
But if Bz is due north, you can consider it a “closed door” as the northbound IMF fails to “connect” with our northbound magnetic field. Much like two opposing magnets. Auroras can occur towards north Bz but require strong geomagnetic storms and the displays will not be as dramatic as those seen when the door is open towards south Bz.
