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Forecasting solar storms is especially difficult right now, even as the sun is getting more active. CMEs fling charged, super-hot plasma into space, and sometimes — like in the case of this CME — that plasma strikes Earth. On the bright side, these solar storms also make stunning displays of the Northern Lights, or aurora borealis, visible in the middle of the US. On a different day, all of these effects combined could have created a very violent solar storm. In the worst-case scenario, which is very rare, all the conditions align to send a very fast and very powerful solar storm to Earth.

Persons: oozing, Keith Strong, Lockheed Martin, Dean Pesnell, Rune Stoltz Bertinussen, Matt Owens, Bryan Brasher, Daniel Verscharen, Owens Organizations: Service, Lockheed, NASA, Dynamics, Prediction, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Reuters, CME, University of Reading, University College London, NASA Solar Dynamics Locations: Wall, Silicon, Tromso, Norway, Montana , Missouri, Virginia

☆ A giant eruption from the sun could bring the Northern Lights as far south as New York, Chicago, and Portland overnight Monday and early Tuesday
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The reason for this brilliant display is the sun, which shot a giant eruption of charged particles toward Earth on Sunday. The colorful Northern Lights, or aurora borealis, appear when electrically charged particles from the sun interact with molecules in Earth's atmosphere. Northern Lights may appear unusually far southTypically these dazzling green, red, pink, and purple lights only appear around the Arctic Circle, or around the South Pole (there it's called the aurora australis). That's because our planet's magnetic field lines channel the steady stream of particles, called the "solar wind," to the poles. AdvertisementAdvertisementWhere the aurora might appear tonightThe below map of the Space Weather Prediction Center's aurora forecast shows where late-night or early-morning sky watchers might be lucky enough to see the Northern Lights.

Persons: Dean Pesnell, Keith Strong, Lockheed Martin, Mike Hapgood, there's Organizations: Service, NASA, Dynamics, Lockheed, NOAA, Prediction Center, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Administration Locations: Wall, Silicon, New York , Illinois, Oregon

☆ Sun smacks Earth with 2 powerful, back-to-back X-class solar flares, knocking out radio signals across the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The sun struck Earth with two powerful X-class solar flares in the past few days. So when high-energy solar radiation strikes, it can cause those radio signals to degrade. But a strong solar maximum can cause extreme space weather events, including back-to-back X-class solar flares like what recently occurred. This year's X-class solar flares have been on the lower end of the intensity spectrum, with the biggest, an X2.2, occurring in February. While this year's flares have routinely affected radio signals, a solar flare of X28 — like the one detected in 2003 — would be incredibly destructive for Earth's technology.

Persons: We've, Gizmodo, Keith Strong, Strong, it's, Space.com Organizations: Service, NASA Locations: Canada, Wall, Silicon

☆ The sun has produced a record number of sunspots — and it could mean power outages, grounded flights, and beautiful auroras
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Scientists are paying close attention to this number because it can help predict if powerful solar flares may cause problems for Earth. Because we're seeing more sunspots than expected, we're likely to see a much stronger solar maximum than had been anticipated. A solar maximum is on its wayThe sun follows a solar cycle, whereby its activity grows and wanes approximately every 11 years. The latest solar cycle was particularly quiet and may have lulled us into a false sense of security, he added. Still, if the sun peaks at 200 sunspots, it will be far from the biggest solar maximum on record.

Persons: —, Auroras, Keith Strong, Mathew Owens, Owens Organizations: Service, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, NASA, Federal Aviation Administration, Riverton, Twitter, Royal Observatory, University of Reading Locations: North America, Central America, South America, Arizona, Riverton, Belgium

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