The predicted solar storm has arrived in the form of fast flowing solar wind, the result of which is twitching magnetometers around the globe, including my own here in the north-west of England. There is no doubt from the data when exactly Earth entered the fast flowing wind stream.
THE SOLAR WIND HAS ARRIVED: As predicted, a high-speed stream of solar wind hit Earth's magnetic field during the early hours of Feb. 1st. The impact literally rattled Earth's magnetic field (more on this below) and sparked bright auroras around the Arctic Circle. "Light night was bonkers," reports photographer Oliver Wright, who took this picture while leading an aurora photo tour in Abisko, Sweden:
The solar wind stream that sparked this display is flowing from a large canyon-shaped hole in the the sun's atmosphere. It's a wide hole, and Earth should remain in the emerging stream for at least two more days. NOAA forecasters estimate a 40% to 60% chance of continued geomagnetic storms on Feb. 1-2. Free: Aurora alerts.
What happens, exactly, when a solar wind stream hits Earth's magnetic field? Imagine yourself opening the door of your kitchen refigerator and finding a bowl of jello inside. Go ahead. Thump the surface. The jello vibrates. Earth's magnetic field behaves a bit like that jello when thumped by a solar wind disturbance. In the UK, Spaceweather.com reader Stuart Green operates a magnetometer that measures unrest in his local magnetic field. This plot from Jan. 31-Feb. 1 clearly shows the arrival of today's solar wind stream:
"The predicted solar storm has arrived in the form of fast flowing solar wind, the result of which is twitching magnetometers around the globe, including my own here in the north-west of England," says Green. "There is no doubt from the data when exactly Earth entered the fast flowing wind stream."
Vibrations in the magnetic field allow particles normally trapped in our planet's magnetosphere to rain down around the poles, igniting auroras. Magnetic unrest should continue tonight as Earth moves deeper into the gusty stream of solar wind.
The solar wind stream that sparked this display is flowing from a large canyon-shaped hole in the the sun's atmosphere. It's a wide hole, and Earth should remain in the emerging stream for at least two more days. NOAA forecasters estimate a 40% to 60% chance of continued geomagnetic storms on Feb. 1-2. Free: Aurora alerts.
What happens, exactly, when a solar wind stream hits Earth's magnetic field? Imagine yourself opening the door of your kitchen refigerator and finding a bowl of jello inside. Go ahead. Thump the surface. The jello vibrates. Earth's magnetic field behaves a bit like that jello when thumped by a solar wind disturbance. In the UK, Spaceweather.com reader Stuart Green operates a magnetometer that measures unrest in his local magnetic field. This plot from Jan. 31-Feb. 1 clearly shows the arrival of today's solar wind stream:
"The predicted solar storm has arrived in the form of fast flowing solar wind, the result of which is twitching magnetometers around the globe, including my own here in the north-west of England," says Green. "There is no doubt from the data when exactly Earth entered the fast flowing wind stream."
Vibrations in the magnetic field allow particles normally trapped in our planet's magnetosphere to rain down around the poles, igniting auroras. Magnetic unrest should continue tonight as Earth moves deeper into the gusty stream of solar wind.
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