Solar Storm

Early Friday morning between the times of 1:00am-5:00am a solar storm was captured and recorded at NASA’s space-based Solar Dynamics Observatory. This virtual tsunami was so big that NASA’s cameras could not capture the entire explosion. According to Kate Andries of National Geographic News,  “hot waves of charged gas—released when tangled solar magnetic fields destabilized and exploded before reconnecting again—arc away from the sun in vast red loops.” The solar arcs that were captured are the latest seen; and these explosions have been increasing in frequency. According to NASA, this is, “a time of periodic change in the sun's activity and appearance—nears its peak.”

Just four days prior to this event (Monday, November 12^th, 2012) a moderate flare was seen. This flare later caused a geomagnetic storm above earth, which in turn resulted in a great northern lights display because it supercharged the earth’s auroras.

Leon Golub, senior astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics stated that, “We are in the peak of the cycle (solar flare) right now. The sun is in its most active state." Although this solar tsunami will likely have little effect on the earth because neither one was pointed towards it, this does not mean that will always be the case.

This peak in the sun’s active state could have serious effects on the electrical grid surrounding the earth. When these types of solar flares are aimed at the planet, they carry the risk of disrupting electrical systems and satellites. These flares can also introduce the presence of radiation to astronauts. Thankfully enough, Tom Bogdan, director of the U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center stated that these emissions travel slowly enough that satellites can detect them well before their particles reach earth.

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