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John Homenuk

Solar storm causes dazzling aurora display

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A large solar storm, owing to a CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) from the sun, caused a dazzling display of Aurora Borealis on Tuesday evening throughout the high and mid latitudes. More commonly known as the Northern Lights, the phenomenal display was one of the best in recent memory — with the color along the horizon visible as far south as Pennsylvania and parts of Long Island. Thousands ran to their cameras and took incredible long-exposure shots of the colors, which danced throughout the northern sky as a result of the aforementioned geomagnetic storm.

The aurora is visible as a result of energized solar particles flying toward Earth from the sun. When they reach Earth, the Earths magnetic field and atmosphere react. These energized particles “excite” atoms and molecules — causing them to light up and create the amazing colors we see. Yes, this is a “bare minimum” explanation, but we’ll keep things simple for now. The solar storm on Tuesday was quite strong — one of the strongest in recent memory with direct impacts on earth. The kP index, used to measure the impacts of these storms on Earth, rose to 8 for a prolonged period of time — which is quite anomalous. Typically, values of 7 or higher are required for our area to see visible aurora.

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John Homenuk

What to know before getting excited about the aurora

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As hype for the potential to see the aurora borealis this weekend increases, thousands of people are now eager to step outside around midnight tonight to glowing, moving multicolored lights in the night sky.

They’ll be disappointed.

There are a few things to know which will not only keep your expectations in check, but also keep you more knowledgeable regarding the phenomenon in the future.

During the middle part of this week, two solar flares occurred from the an Earth-facing sunspot. Solar flares are essentially eruptions from the sun which send energy, light, and high speed particles flying into space. If these flares occur on a part of the sun which is facing earth, eventually the energy, light and particles will reach our planet. These flares are often associated with magnetic storms called CME’s, or Coronal Mass Ejections. Although solar flares aren’t harmful to humans (thanks, atmosphere) they can create long-lasting radiation storms above our heads — and disrupt high frequency radio signals, GPS systems, and satellites. They also can produce beautiful aurora borealis in the night sky, especially in the Northern Latitudes.

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John Homenuk

X Class solar flare could produce bright aurora

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Two CME’s (Coronal Mass Ejections) from the sun during the last two days have astronomers brimming with excitement. And although the details aren’t totally certain, the earth-directed nature and magnitude of the solar flares have photographers racing for their cameras in hopes of capturing the elusive aurora borealis.

At 1:45pm today, an X-Class (strongest level) solar flare occurred — right on the heels of an M Class flare from Tuesday. Sunspot AR2158 is the culprit. A geomagnetic storm watch has been issued as a result of the Tuesday ejection from the sun. That  flare, despite being weaker than Wednesdays, was long duration — lasting almost 6 hours. During the last few weeks, multiple weaker CME’s have produced auroras throughout the world. The incoming aurora could be brighter, last longer, and extend farther south from the poles than its predecessor.

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