AURORA OUTBURST: Last night, for the second night in a row, sky watchers around the Arctic Circle witnessed an impressive display of auroras.
Northern Lights
Crack opens in the earth’s magnetic field
It began when a seemingly minor solar wind stream hit Earth’s magnetic field. Then whoosh! The minor hit turned into a not-so-minor display when a crack opened in the earth’s magnetic field, allowing the solar wind to pour through the breach and fuel the storm.
Sun buffets Earth with streams of energy even during sunspot minimums
Challenging conventional wisdom, a new study finds that the earth was bombarded last year with high levels of solar energy at a time when the Sun was unusually quiet and sunspots had virtually disappeared,
Read moreSun buffets Earth with streams of energy even during sunspot minimums
Geomagnetic super-storm sets telegraph papers on fire
On September 2, a billion-ton coronal mass ejection slammed into the earth’s magnetic field. The glow awoke campers in the Rockies in the middle of the night, who thought the sun was rising. But no, it was the Northern Lights.
Read moreGeomagnetic super-storm sets telegraph papers on fire
Strongest Geomagnetic Storm in 18 Months Hits Earth
13 Apr 10 – A sudden geomagnetic storm from the Sun increased from geomagnetic K-index 4 to a number 7 (out of a possible 10) in just three hours – the strongest such storm in the past 18 months.
Read moreStrongest Geomagnetic Storm in 18 Months Hits Earth
Plasma Bullets Trigger Northern Lights
Duck! Plasma bullets are zinging past Earth. That’s the conclusion of researchers studying data from NASA’s five THEMIS spacecraft.
Colliding Auroras Produce Explosions of Light
A network of cameras deployed around the Arctic has made a startling discovery about the Northern Lights.