It looks like the sun is in a festive mood: a powerful geomagnetic storm watch will be in place for the next day. This raises the possibility of an aurora borealis, the Northern Lights show, on New Year's Eve.
Space Weather Forecast Center Meteorological Department issues announcement Geomagnetic Storm Watch For Dec. 31, based on the coronal mass ejection—an eruption on the sun's surface—that occurred on Dec. 29, the New Year's Eve storm watch was rated G3 for severe storms, according to SWPC storm data. Extremes can disorient spacecraft and cause problems with GPS and low-frequency radio navigation systems. The alert predicted that the auroras would occur. “Northern several northern states and some lower Midwest states all the way to Oregon,” but don't let that put you off if you're further south. Space weather expert speak New phone camera technology can pick up light even if your eyes can't see it, so even if an aurora isn't expected in your area, But it wouldn't hurt to try taking pictures.
Aurora It occurs when charged particles from the Sun interact with the Earth's magnetic field. As a result, gases in our planet's atmosphere glow. When solar activity becomes more intense That's when our star hurls matter out into space in solar flares. It will create a bright aurora. which is sometimes surprisingly close to the equator
The sun passes by 11 year solar cyclewhere space weather tends to be more severe There are approximately 200 G3 geomagnetic storms per solar cycle. And the sun is now at about its maximum. which is the cause of many storms Significant geomagnetic storms happened this year In May, the world felt The strongest geomagnetic storm It will hit the planet in the next 20 years, sending auroras across the sky as far south as Florida and Texas.
NBTC as well Announced There were two severe radio outages on Monday. This is because there are double flares on the sun. The effects of flares can include loss of signal in high frequencies in the Earth's daylight region. The notification stated Although the associated coronal mass ejection “It is determined that there are no elements controlled by the world.”
In addition to the G3 Storm Watch, there is also the G1 (or sub) Storm Watch used on New Year's Day. With the possibility of upgrading alerts to the G2 storm watch, space weather researchers cannot determine the exact degree of disruption to the Earth's magnetic field until the Sun's charged particles are far from Earth's interior. 1 million miles (1.61 million kilometers) or approximately 30-60 minutes from arrival at Earth. “Neither CME is expected to be a direct hit,” according to Storm Watch's announcement, “which makes forecasting its intensity more difficult.”
The auroras are best seen in clear skies and away from prominent light sources. In other words If you're trying to see the world's natural light show It is best to stay away from artificial light displays on New Year's Eve. See you all in 2025, another lively year under the auspices of our exploding stars.