SOLAR STORMS - GEOGRAPHY
News: Another Powerful Solar Storm
Headed Towards Earth, Blackouts Likely
What's in the news?
●
Solar storms, while creating beautiful aurorae,
have significant effects on Earth and space systems.
Solar Storms:
●
Solar storms are disturbances on the Sun's surface
that release large amounts of energy and
charged particles into space.
●
These storms can include solar flares, coronal mass
ejections (CMEs), and other energetic events.
Types of Solar Storms:
1. Solar Flares:
●
Sudden flashes of increased brightness on the Sun,
usually observed near sunspots.
●
Solar flares can disrupt radio communications on
Earth.
2. Coronal Mass
Ejections (CMEs):
●
Huge bursts of solar wind and magnetic fields
rising above the solar corona or being released into space.
●
CMEs can cause geomagnetic storms when they collide
with Earth's magnetosphere.
Impact of Solar Storms
on Earth:
1. Aurorae:
●
When charged particles from the Sun interact with Earth's magnetic field, they can create
vivid displays of light called auroras.
●
Example - The recent aurorae visible over Hanle in
Ladakh, India, were caused by a geomagnetic storm.
2. Power Grid
Disruptions:
●
Geomagnetic storms can induce currents in power
lines, causing voltage fluctuations and potentially damaging transformers.
●
Example - In 2003, a geomagnetic storm caused power
outages in Sweden and South Africa.
3. Satellite Damage:
●
High-energy particles can damage satellite
electronics and affect their operation.
●
Example - Satellites used for GPS navigation and
communication can be knocked out or suffer reduced functionality during severe
solar storms.
4. Astronaut Safety:
●
Increased radiation levels can endanger the lives
of astronauts.
●
Example - Astronauts on the International Space
Station need to take shelter in more shielded parts of the station during solar
storms.
Recent Solar Activity:
1. Current Solar Cycle:
●
The Sun is approaching the peak of its 11-year
solar cycle, characterized by increased
sunspot activity and more frequent solar storms.
●
Example - The geomagnetic storm on May 10, 2023,
was caused by CMEs from sunspot AR 3664.
2. Aditya-L1
Observations:
●
The Aditya-L1 spacecraft, currently in the
calibration phase, is expected to play a significant role in monitoring solar
activity.
●
Example - Instruments on Aditya-L1 have already
detected increases in alpha particle and proton flux signatures of the solar
storm.
Go back to basics:
Solar Cycle:
●
The Sun experiences an 11-year cycle called the solar cycle, characterized by alternating
periods of increased and decreased solar activity.
●
The peak of this cycle, known as the solar maximum, is marked by a higher
frequency of sunspots and solar storms.
●
During this phase, the Sun’s magnetic field becomes
more tangled and chaotic, leading to more intense solar activity.
Geomagnetic Storms:
Sunspot AR 3664:
●
It has grown
upto 16-times as wide as the earth combined with AR 3663, making up a
cluster much larger than Earth and brimming with magnetic energy.
●
The supercharged
magnetic fields in such sunspots release a great burst of energy that sends
plumes of charged particles called coronal mass ejections (CMEs) together with
solar flares (powerful flashes of radiation) into space.
●
On May 10, three CMEs struck the earth.