All articles tagged with #space weather
The Sun erupted with 10 M-class flares in 24 hours, with several coronal mass ejections headed toward Earth. NOAA forecasts suggest geomagnetic activity (G1–G2) could spark auroras across parts of the northern U.S. around the July 3–4 weekend, depending on CME interactions and magnetic-field orientation; viewing may be hindered by twilight in some areas.
Scientists propose StormWall, a constellation of six bus‑sized satellites in geostationary orbit that would release gas to form a plasma barrier at Earth’s magnetosphere, potentially reducing the impact of solar superstorms by more than 50% (up to 84% in simulations of a 2024 event). While the concept is touted as feasible with current tech, it would be costly (billions), require large rockets, and raise environmental and safety questions, with further studies needed before any deployment.
An X1.1 solar flare from sunspot AR4479 on June 30 produced Radio Blackouts on the daylight side of Earth and launched a CME. While initial analyses suggested limited Earth impact, NOAA later issued a G2 geomagnetic storm watch for July 3, indicating that at least part of the CME could reach Earth and trigger geomagnetic activity. If the CME’s magnetic field is oriented favorably, auroras could be visible across parts of the northern U.S. during the July 4 weekend.
A moderate M5.8 solar flare from AR 4475 on June 29 prompted an S1 solar radiation storm warning (issued 16:00 UTC, canceled 16:36 UTC) with no CME detected at that time, though Western-limb location kept Earth at risk for energetic particles. Later, an Earth-facing X1.1 flare from AR 4479 near the solar disk center at 20:50 UTC produced a strong radio blackout (R3) and emitted Type II and IV radio bursts, with analysts awaiting coronagraph data to confirm any Earth-directed CME. Space‑weather conditions were quiet for now, but CME activity from later flares could bring unsettled to active conditions on June 30 into July 1, potentially triggering minor geomagnetic activity on approach of any CME.
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, scientists observe the distant galaxy merger CRISTAL-02 and find a powerful outflow of gas—a galactic wind—that's removing fuel faster than stars can form, potentially quenching future star formation; the wind is likely driven by merger-triggered starbursts and supernovae (with a possible role for a central black hole), offering insight into early galaxy growth and illustrating a space-weather-like phenomenon in the cosmos.
Geomagnetic storms push currents through long metal conductors—power lines, pipelines, and submarine cables—potentially tripping transformers and collapsing grids for months, even though people indoors are largely unaffected; historical events like 1989 Quebec and 1859 Carrington show the risk, and modern warnings plus operational measures can mitigate damage, though a Carrington-scale storm remains a serious threat.
On March 13, 1989, a solar coronal mass ejection induced currents that collapsed Quebec's Hydro-Québec grid in 90 seconds, leaving 6 million people without power for hours; the event exposed vulnerabilities of long-distance transmission to space weather and spurred major investments in grid protection and real-time solar forecasting across North America.
The 1859 Carrington solar storm unleashed a fast coronal mass ejection that slammed Earth’s magnetosphere, turning hundreds of miles of telegraph wires into a giant generator; operators unplugged their batteries and still transmitted as sparks flew and lines smoked, with auroras visible far from the poles. The event illustrated how geomagnetically induced currents ride along ground conductors, a risk echoed in later outages like the 1989 Quebec blackout and a present-day grid whose transformers and infrastructure would face severe disruption—yet warnings from space weather monitoring can provide precious minutes to protect vulnerable equipment.
Geomagnetic storms induce voltages along the Earth’s longest conductors—power lines, pipelines, and undersea fiber cables—creating currents that can saturate transformers, cause outages, and disrupt global communications for weeks. The 1989 Hydro-Québec blackout is a key example, and a Carrington-class event could cripple continents if multiple transformers and shore-end equipment fail. Forewarning is limited (CME travel 1–3 days; ground-based signals give hours of lead time), while grid-hardening and monitoring efforts (including blocking certain DC paths and studying bedrock conductivity) are underway in places like New Zealand and Alaska to reduce risk. The Sun itself isn’t striking people; its magnetic field is coupling with long metal structures to carry the threat into modern life.
NASA’s STEREO-A happened to sit in the direct path of the July 2012 Carrington-class CME, taking the full hit while Earth avoided a direct strike. The spacecraft’s instruments recorded unprecedented in-situ measurements of magnetic fields, plasma density, and shock structure, creating a canonical dataset for extreme solar storms. Analyses using that data suggest a direct Carrington-type event could drive geomagnetic disturbances powerful enough to damage hundreds of high-voltage transformers across North America and Europe, underscoring the value of even hours of warning. The event also anchors statistical risk estimates (roughly 10–15% per decade) and confirms that a future Earth-directed storm could have devastating consequences if not anticipated.
NASA selected the DAPHNE (Dynamic Atmosphere-Ionosphere Explorer) concept for Phase B development to study how processes in Earth’s lower atmosphere influence the upper atmosphere and space weather, with twin satellites measuring neutral winds, temperature, and composition to improve predictions for GPS, low-Earth orbit satellites, and astronauts. Led by Aimee Merkel of the University of Colorado Boulder, the mission faces a 2027 confirmation review, a launch no earlier than 2029, and a cost cap of $250 million (FY2023 dollars), managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center under the Solar Terrestrial Probes program.
Space.com reports that scientists using IRIS data captured a rare preflare window for the Oct. 3, 2024 X9 solar flare. They tracked three plasma properties—brightness, line-of-sight velocity, and non-thermal velocity (turbulence)—which began rising about three hours before eruption and showed regular oscillations (roughly 7–10 minutes and 18–21 minutes) near a boundary where opposite magnetic fields meet. About 15–20 minutes before the flare, the sun’s atmosphere became more volatile, signaling possible magnetic energy release. While the study suggests a potential precursor signature from combining these signals, it analyses a single event, and more flares must be studied before reliable early warnings can be developed. The findings were published in Solar Physics.
Scientists propose ‘StormWall,’ a constellation of mass-loading spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit that would ionize materials to create magnetospheric plasma, aiming to suppress magnetic reconnection during solar storms and potentially halve their impact. While conceptually feasible, major challenges remain in cost, maintenance, and orbital optimization before any deployment could be considered.
NOAA’s SOLAR-1, the United States’ first satellite designed for continuous, operational space weather observations, has entered service after its year-long journey to the Sun-Earth L1 point. It will provide 24/7 real-time data on solar wind and CMEs, delivering CME imagery within about 30 minutes and in-situ data within five minutes to support warnings and decision-making for critical infrastructure, satellites, aviation, national security, and human spaceflight. Data will be publicly available via NOAA’s SWPC portal, strengthening preparedness for space-weather events and missions like Artemis II.
A Boston University team led by Brian Walsh proposes StormWall, a six-satellite fleet in geosynchronous orbit that would release mass-loading materials (e.g., barium, lithium, sodium, calcium) which ionize into a plasma cloud at the sun-facing edge of Earth’s magnetosphere. The artificial plasma would thicken the magnetopause, disrupting magnetic reconnection and potentially reducing a major geomagnetic storm’s intensity by more than 50%. The idea targets protecting satellites, communications, GPS, and electrical grids. It would be a one-and-done deployment (no replenishment) and would be costly, but private space activity could tip the economics in its favor. The concept was tested via simulations of the May 2024 “Mother’s Day” storm and details were published in Space Weather (June 2).