您现在的位置是:綜合 >>正文
【】
綜合71人已围观
简介More kaleidoscopic light shows could be visible in the sky across the Northern Hemisphere as a power ...
More kaleidoscopic light shows could be visible in the sky across the Northern Hemisphere as a powerful solar storm ramps up.
An extreme geomagnetic storm that first hit last week is expected to become more intense, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as several coronal mass ejections are due to bombard Earth's outer atmosphere in space later on May 12.
That means many people who haven't witnessed a rare aurora borealis may still have a chance to see it. People throughout the United States, United Kingdom, and other locations worldwide reported sightings Saturday of the Northern Lights, usually only visible at night near the North Pole. However, a similar effect happens near Antarctica, too.
The sun had a strong solar flare — a gigantic burst of energy — at 12:26 p.m. ET Sunday. This flare was classified as an X-1.0, among the most intense flares observed. Experts warned the incident could create temporary problems or lost signals for users of high-frequency radio communication.
"Solar flares send tons of energy whizzing through space at the speed of light," according to NASA. "Sometimes flares come with huge solar eruptions. These eruptions are called coronal mass ejections."
SEE ALSO:A spacecraft ‘touched’ the sun. Here’s how it survived.Tweet may have been deleted
An aurora's display of colors is the result of electrons shot out of the sun during solar storms. As the charged particles reach Earth, they travel along the planet's invisible magnetic field lines into the atmosphere, interacting with the air. When those particles strike gasses, they heat up and glow, according to NASA.
The colors differ depending on the type of atmospheric gas and its altitude. Oxygen glows red or blue, while nitrogen can create green, blue, or pink. The recent strong solar storm conditions are causing the aurora around the north pole to be much more widespread, allowing people who live farther south to see them.
Tweet may have been deleted
Similar to storm seasons on Earth, the sun experiences a weather pattern that repeats every 11 years. At the beginning and end of the cycle, that activity is at its calmest. But solar activity increases, climaxing in the middle of the cycle and causing the sun to roil with giant eruptions.
Right now that cycle is about to peak, close to reaching its maximum point in mid-2025. That's why reports of solar flares and coronal mass ejections — plasma spewed from the sun's outer atmosphere, called the corona — are more abundant in the news.
Coronal mass ejections like the ones approaching Earth, or CMEs, are referred to as "space weather." Though the sun is about 93 million miles away, space weather can affect Earth and other parts of the solar system.
Related Stories
- How a solar eruption would impact astronauts on the moon and Mars
- The sun actually pelts itself with colossal 'shooting stars'
- These new telescope images of the sun are just spectacular
- A spacecraft ‘touched’ the sun. Here’s how it survived.
- Mars' sky gets a mysterious green aurora resembling a giant worm
Tweet may have been deleted
Scientists have a limited ability to forecast space weather. Here, the atmosphere and magnetic field shield people against the most harmful health impacts of solar radiation. However, these events can have catastrophic consequences on technology, disrupting power grids, telecommunications, and GPS systems.
Though these incidents don’t happen often, a solar flare in March 1989, for example, caused all of Quebec, Canada, to experience a 12-hour power outage. It also jammed radio signals for Radio Free Europe.
Tweet may have been deleted
Prior to Sunday's flare, the sun ejected two other strong solar flares just before 9:30 p.m. ET Friday and 8 a.m. ET Saturday, according to NASA. The U.S. space agency's Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the sun constantly, has snapped pictures of these events as well. The previous two flares were classified as X-5.8 and X-1.5, respectively.
NOAA, which is continuing to monitor the storm for the U.S. government, said these flares seem to be linked to a sunspot estimated to be perhaps 15 times wider than Earth.
Featured Video For You
NASA video shows stunning scene from extremely volcanic world Io
TopicsNASA
Tags:
转载:欢迎各位朋友分享到网络,但转载请说明文章出处“夫榮妻貴網”。http://new.maomao321.com/news/41a28799671.html
相关文章
Airbnb activates disaster response site for Louisiana flooding
綜合Airbnb has activated its disaster response page following the record-breaking flooding in Louisiana. ...
【綜合】
阅读更多How Trump changed America while distracting us on Twitter
綜合Twelve months after Trump was elected president, one thing is clear: the 140-character whims of the ...
【綜合】
阅读更多Everything wrong with the reaction to Louis C.K.'s "apology"
綜合Well, it looks like the Louis C.K. apologists have at least pivoted to a different tactic than simpl ...
【綜合】
阅读更多
热门文章
- MashReads Podcast: What makes a good summer read?
- Trump Twitter notifications have completely ruined my year
- 'Stranger Things' fans crashed a museum's website buying sweatshirts
- Pollution in New Delhi is so bad it's a health emergency
- These glasses hide a fitness tracker on your face
- Louis C.K. responds to sexual misconduct allegations: 'These stories are true'
最新文章
Singapore rolls out video
Apple has shipped way more iPhone 7s than iPhone 8s, says report
Lupita Nyong'o calls out UK magazine for photoshopping her hair
'Stranger Things' fans crashed a museum's website buying sweatshirts
Nate Parker is finally thinking about the woman who accused him of rape
Trump Twitter notifications have completely ruined my year