SURPRISE GEOMAGNETIC STORM: Earth's magnetic field was supposed to be quiet on April 10th. Instead a strong (G3-class) geomagnetic storm broke out. At the apex of the disturbance, auroras crossed the Canadian border into multiple northern-tier US states. Ron Risman sends this time-lapse movie from Milton, New Hampshire:
"We don’t get to see the aurora all that often in New Hampshire, but this solar cycle so far has been fantastic," says Risman. Before the show was over, the lights spread west through Wisconsin all the way to Washington state.
What caused the storm? The prime suspect is a "canyon of fire" CME, which hit Earth's magnetic field two days ago. Initially the weak impact on April 8th had little effect, but unrest has been brewing ever since. We could be seeing the effect of Earth's passage through the CME's extended wake, which contained unexpectedly strong magnetic fields. A minor solar wind stream arriving during the early hours of April 10th may have helped, too.
The storm is over now. NOAA forecasters say it could flare up again, albeit as a lesser G1-class storm, if Earth encounters another region of strong magnetism ("negative BsubZ") on our way out of the CME's wake. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
more images: from Dirk S. Miller of Rice Lake, Wisconsin; from Rocky Raybell of Keller, Washington; from Christy Turner of Calgary, Alberta; from Thomas McCarty of Fairbanks, Alaska; from Ian Griffin of Hoopers Inlet, Otago Peninsula, New Zealand;
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
WHAT'S HAPPENING ON FARSIDE OF THE SUN? There's a sunspot group on the farside of the sun so large it is altering the way the sun vibrates. Note the big dark spot in this helioseismic map of the sun:
Helioseismology is the study of acoustic waves on the sun. The sun is constantly vibrating as a result of its own inner boiling turmoil. It's quite a cacophany; helioseismologists liken it to the sound of a piano falling down stairs. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory can detect and decode these vibrations, which reveal structures like farside sunspots.
The dark region in today's helioseismic map could be old sunspot AR2975, which rotated onto the farside of the sun about a week ago. In late March it unleashed a fusillade of strong Earth-directed explosions including a Cannibal CME and an X-class solar flare. The active region appears to be still going strong. Solar flare alerts: SMS Text
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
THE INFINITE BUTTERFLY PENDANT: Are you looking for a far out gift? Consider the Infinite Butterfly Pendant. It flew to the stratosphere on April 8th onboard a cosmic ray research balloon:
You can have it for $159.95. The students of Earth to Sky Calculus are selling Infinite Butterflies to support their cosmic ray monitoring program.
The butterfly and sunflower are framed by a sterling silver infinity loop, the symbol of never-ending love, suspended from a matching sterling silver chain. You'll also receive a greeting card showing the butterfly in flight, and telling the story of its trip to the edge of space and back again.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter