Posted on 03/31/2022 5:33:13 AM PDT by Red Badger
Composite image of solar prominence on 31 August 2012. (NASA/SDO/GSFC)
The dazzling northern lights could light up the skies as far south as the northern United States after the detection of 17 solar eruptions blasting from a single sunspot, two of which are headed straight to Earth.
The two Earth-directed eruptions have merged into a "cannibal coronal mass ejection" and are barreling toward us at 1,881,263 miles per hour (3,027,599 kilometers per hour).
When it crashes into the Earth's magnetic field on the night of March 30, the result will be a powerful G3 geomagnetic storm, according to The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC).
G3 storms are classified as strong geomagnetic storms, meaning that the oncoming Sun blast could bring the aurora as south as Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Oregon.
The sunspot, called AR2975, has been shooting out flares of electrically charged particles from the Sun's plasma soup since Monday (March 28).
Sunspots are areas on the Sun's surface where powerful magnetic fields, created by the flow of electrical charges, knot into kinks before suddenly snapping. The resulting release of energy launches bursts of radiation called solar flares, or explosive jets of solar material called coronal mass ejections (CMEs).
Related: Strange new type of solar wave defies physics
Cannibal coronal mass ejections happen when fast-moving solar eruptions overtake earlier eruptions in the same region of space, sweeping up charged particles to form a giant, combined wavefront that triggers a powerful geomagnetic storm.
The "frenzy" of solar flares meant that "at least two full-halo [Earth striking] CMEs emerged from the chaos," SpaceWeather.com wrote of the event. The second CME is expected to overtake and "cannibalize" the first before hitting Earth's magnetic field at around 11 pm ET time on March 30.
CMEs usually take around 15 to 18 hours to reach Earth, according to the SWPC.
When they do, the Earth's magnetic field gets compressed slightly by the waves of highly energetic particles, which ripple down magnetic field lines and agitate molecules in the atmosphere, releasing energy in the form of light to create colorful auroras in the night sky.
The energy from the storm is expected to be harmlessly absorbed by our magnetic field, but large solar storms still have the potential to wreak havoc. G3 storms can cause "intermittent satellite navigation and low-frequency radio navigation problems," according to SWPC.
A recent storm in February sent 40 Starlink satellites tumbling back to Earth, Live Science previously reported, and scientists have warned that an even larger one could have the potential to cripple the internet across the globe.
Scientists think that the largest ever solar storm witnessed during contemporary history was the 1859 Carrington Event, which carried roughly the same energy as 10 billion 1-megaton atomic bombs.
After slamming into the Earth, the powerful stream of solar particles fried telegram systems all over the world and caused auroras brighter than the light of the full Moon to appear as far south as the Caribbean.
If a similar event happened today, it would cause trillions of dollars in damage and widespread blackouts, much like the solar storm which caused the 1989 Quebec blackout, according to scientists.
More info:
https://www.livescience.com/cannibal-coronal-mass-ejection-inbound
We’ll have to wait for ABCNNBCBS to tell us...............
No more FreeRepublic, eitherš
You people who think it is funny should have listened better in science class, because if one of these solar flares occurs like it did in 1849 you will be amazed at the damage it will do to anything “modern” electrical that you own or use.
Itās not enough that we are destroying the planet with carbon emissions - now we are ruining the Sun.
You people?........................
Well, we lived through it!
Http://spaceweather.com has aurora photos. Also, info on a new X-class flare.
Are you sure?.....................
Coronal mass ejection becomes Cannibal coronal mass ejection , really these people
IT’S A REAL SCIENTIFIC TERM................
93/1.9 ~ 50 hours to hit earth after the eruption.
No report of Northern Lights last night here in Hayden, ID. Anybody see it?
Unfortunately no. The Earth turned into a burning ball of fire.
Come, come sweet Carrington Event. Destroy the network of lies and the support system for the useless eaters.
“When it crashes into the Earth’s magnetic field on the night of March 30,”
SHOOT! I MISSED it!
Didn’t feel a thing. Slept right through it. Internet didn’t go down either.
March 31, 2022 @ 02:30 UTC (UPDATED)
An interplanetary shockwave (IP shock) just passed the DSCOVR spacecraft at 01:40 UTC (Mar 31). This is related to the M4/M1 CME events from March 28th. Solar wind speed is currently above 500 km/s and the Bz component of the interplanetary magnetic field has shifted south for the time being. It is still very early and rapid changes in the solar wind data should be expected. A passage past Earth is expected during the next 45 minutes. Stay tuned.
UPDATE: The CME just passed Earth. Current solar wind speed remains near 500 km/s and the Bz component of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) is pointing south (-8nT). The SWS is initially not as fast as predicted, however things will continue to play out over the next several hours. A minor (G1) geomagnetic storm is now in progress. A watch for up to Strong (G3) conditions remains in effect. Middle to high latitude aurora sky watchers should be alert tonight once dark outside.
If it’s anything like my chevy nova, it’ll light up the night’s sky.
LOL.
5.56mm
Missed it. Too many clouds.
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