Sun Sends Shockwave Towards Earth, Rips Into Magnetic Field

The magnetosphere has been breached by a constant stream of high-speed material that was sent hurtling into it by a mysterious shockwave in a solar wind gust.

Although the exact cause of the shockwave is unknown, scientists believe it may have been caused by a coronal mass ejection launched by sunspot AR3165, a gurgling region on the sun's surface that on December 14 released a spate of at least eight solar flares and briefly cut off radio communication over the Atlantic Ocean.

Sunspots and Geomagnetic Storms

Sunspots are regions on the surface of the sun where strong magnetic fields are caused by the movement of electrical charges kink before abruptly snapping. The energy that is released as a result causes solar flares or coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, which are solar material plumes, to be launched.

Once they are launched, CMEs move at speeds of millions of miles per hour, collecting charged particles from the solar wind to create a massive, combined wavefront that can cause geomagnetic storms if it is pointed toward Earth.

When energetic solar debris, primarily electrons, protons, and alpha particles, is absorbed by the Earth's magnetic field and compressed as a result, geomagnetic storms result. The northern lights are created when solar particles, which are traveling through the atmosphere close to the poles where the magnetic field of the Earth is weakest, disturb oxygen and nitrogen molecules. This causes the molecules to release light energy in the form of auroras, which are characterized by their vibrant colors.

G-1 Class at Michigan and Maine

In addition, the storms have the potential to open cracks in the magnetosphere that can last for hours at a time, allowing solar material to flow through and interfere with electrical systems, radio communications, and satellites.

Thankfully, the storm that was expected to occur yesterday was only a G-1 class. It could affect some satellite functions, including those used for mobile devices and GPS systems, and cause slight fluctuations in power grids. Additionally, it might cause an aurora to show up as far south as Maine and Michigan.

However, geomagnetic storms that are more severe can cause much more damaging effects. In addition to warping the planet's magnetic field, they have the power to interfere with electrical systems and even bring down the internet.

As the sun enters the most active phase of the solar cycle that runs about 11 years, the upcoming storm is just the most recent in a series of solar assaults launched at Earth.

Solar Cycle

Solar activity cycles, about which astronomers have known since 1775, have recently been more pronounced than anticipated, with nearly twice as many sunspot appearances as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had predicted.

The sun's activity is expected to increase steadily over the coming years. It will reach an overall peak in 2025 before declining once more.

The 1859 Carrington Event, which released approximately the same quantity of energy as 10 billion 1-megaton atomic bombs, was the largest solar storm in recent memory. After slamming into Earth, the strong stream of solar particles destroyed telegraph systems all over the world and caused auroras to appear much further south, as in the Caribbean, which was brighter than the full moon's light.

After slamming into Earth, the strong stream of solar particles destroyed telegraph systems all over the world and caused auroras to appear much further south, as, in the Caribbean, that was brighter than the full moon's light.

Scientists warn that if a similar event occurred today, it would result in extensive blackouts, cost trillions of dollars in damage, and put thousands of lives in danger. A billion-ton gas plume that was released by a previous solar storm in 1989, according to NASA, resulted in a complete blackout in the Canadian province of Quebec.

But this might only be the tip of the iceberg in terms of what our star can throw at the planet. Researchers are also looking into the reasons behind a string of abrupt and enormous radiation spikes seen in ancient tree rings throughout Earth's history. Scientists haven't ruled out any other potential unknown cosmic source, but the leading theory is that the peaks could have originated from solar storms 80 times stronger than the Carrington Event, Live Science reports.