The last solar storm caused a strong geomagnetic storm on Earth after hitting the magnetosphere.
Just a few days ago, a potentially destructive sunspot sent surprisingly strong solar winds toward Earth at an astounding 372 miles per second! According to space experts, this led to the ignition of a moderately strong G2 class geomagnetic storm on Earth. A geomagnetic storm, a large disturbance in Earth’s magnetosphere, occurs when there is a remarkably efficient exchange of energy from the solar wind toward Earth.
According to NOAA’s Space Weather Scale, a strong geomagnetic storm can even cause a radio blackout on Earth, while also affecting communication and power grids. This G2 geomagnetic storm did not cause any damage to infrastructure, but resulted in dazzling colorful auroras across Canada and the UK. Space weather physicist Dr. Tamita Skov also shared some photos of the mesmerizing views of the aurora borealis taken by residents.
“And nothing like an August night drenched in your love… Lady Aurora appeared G1 in the skies over central Alberta this morning,” said Jeff Adams on Twitter as he shared a view of the aurora. While in a similar event, a user named Alan Dyer shared one of the rare aurora events called “STEVE” short for Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement. The SpaceWeather.com report also confirmed that STEVE was visible in Montana and Pennsylvania during the latest geomagnetic storm.
“During Monday’s surprise geomagnetic storm, hot streaks of plasma swept through Earth’s magnetosphere. Alan Dyer saw one near Gleichen, Alberta,” SpaceWeather.com mentions.
“Over the past few nights, Alberta has seen active Aurora displays. This photo shows STEVE, a unique Aurora phenomenon seen mostly around lower attitudes and found right here in Alberta! Taken Sunday night around 1:00am MST,” Dyer tweeted.
This rare event is a recent discovery that looks like an aurora borealis, but it’s not! According to spaceweather.com, the purple glow is caused by a hot temperature of 3000° Celsius. Streaks of gas passing through Earth’s magnetosphere at lightning speed over 6 km/s! It only appears during a few geomagnetic storms, usually along with a type of green glow called a fence.
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