Last Updated on 09/09/2024 by Arun jain
A plume of “dark plasma” is heading toward Earth after being blasted by the Sun.
This coronal mass ejection (CME) was ejected from a long magnetic filament on the Sun’s surface and is poised to unleash a geomagnetic storm in Earth’s atmosphere on Tuesday. These geomagnetic storms will strike at G2 or “moderate” strength and are predicted to trigger northern lights over US states as far south as New York and Idaho.
CMEs are large clouds of solar plasma and magnetic fields ejected from magnetically active regions of the Sun’s surface, including sunspots and magnetic filaments. Solar filaments are large, elongated structures of dense, cold plasma that are suspended above the Sun’s surface by magnetic fields. When the magnetic fields supporting the filament become unstable, the filament can explode, releasing large amounts of solar material into space.
Because it originates from a cold filament, this CME It is composed of “dark plasma”. Solar plasma typically consists of charged particles such as electrons, protons, and ions that are extremely hot and emit light at various wavelengths. On the other hand, dark plasma, due to its lower temperature compared to the surrounding corona, may appear cooler and less visible at high-energy wavelengths. While it is called “dark” in the context of solar imaging, it is still very hot and energetic by terrestrial standards.
When these CMEs collide with Earth’s magnetic field, they can trigger geomagnetic storms and result in auroras being seen farther from the poles than usual. These storms are classified G1 through G5, with G5 being the most powerful and least common. A geomagnetic storm that caused the Northern Lights to explode In May this year in all 50 US states The first was the G5 Storm Since 2003.
“The top end of the classification is reserved for unusually strong events, like high-intensity hurricanes or tornadoes, and only the top few percent make it into this category,” said Martin Connors, a professor of space science and physics at Canada. Athabasca University said Newsweek.
“In the case of magnetic storms, rare extreme conditions on the Sun and in the solar wind are required, with additional variables [of the] “The magnetic field of the solar wind, which is difficult to detect, is very important for determining what happens when the solar wind interacts with Earth’s magnetic field,” Connors said.
The CME effects of the filament explosion that occurred early on September 8 should arrive by midday on September 10 and will cause the effects of a moderate geomagnetic storm. The effects of any geomagnetic storm extending through September 11 (UTC) are likely to be reduced to minor storm levels. pic.twitter.com/4AdY506yOb
— NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (@NWSSWPC) September 8, 2024
Hurricane forecasts are not expected to reach anything as a result of the incoming CME More powerful than G2 Storm.
“High-latitude power systems can experience voltage alarms, long-duration storms can damage transformers,” says the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center. “HF radio propagation can fade at high latitudes, and auroras have been observed as low as New York and Idaho (typically 55° geomagnetic latitude).”
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