Solar storm and northern lights
The aurora borealis was seen around the world over the weekend of May 11-12 due to the most intense solar storm to hit Earth since October 2003, dubbed the “Halloween Storm.” This type of storm is caused by a series of coronal mass ejections from the sun, sudden flashes of radiation that are usually accompanied by violent ejections of plasma and reach the Earth’s magnetic field. This phenomenon manifests itself as what we call the northern, southern, or polar lights.
The May storm was rated a G5, the highest level on the scale, and was caused by extremely powerful explosions that occurred near a sunspot about 17 times the size of Earth and pointed toward our planet.
Maximum solar power and torches
This type of spot appears when the sun's activity is very strong, which is what is happening now. The sun, which follows an 11-year cycle, is reaching its maximum, and for several months we have been observing many spots on its surface, which can sometimes be seen with the naked eye. The risk of a new geomagnetic storm is therefore at its highest and should remain so until “the end of next year,” as Mike Pettue, of the US Space Weather Prediction Center, explained at the time.
New evidence, this time a sunspot called AR3825 caused a “giant coronal mass ejection.”
Aurora Borealis visible as far as France?
“In principle, the material is not being ejected primarily towards Earth,” says astrophysicist Eric Lagadec. But some of it could still reach our planet on Monday, September 16. According to NOAA forecastswhich considers the risk of a G3 level geomagnetic storm to be possible.
This is certainly less than last May, but it is enough to see the aurora even at unusually low latitudes, especially as far as France. Not to mention that the famous AR3825 scourge is coming our way soon. If it continues to produce strong eruptions, we will have a good chance of being able to admire the new aurora.
