Tag: solar wind

Technology

Geomagnetic storm alert issued! NOAA says solar wind could trigger solar storm on March 9

Just a few days ago, an M-class solar flare hit Earth and sparked a G2-class geomagnetic storm. This is amidst the rising solar activity during the current solar cycle 25, which is expected to enter its peak this year. Consequently, the planet has witnessed a growing number of solar particles, CMEs, solar flares, solar storms and geomagnetic storms in the last few months, and it is expected to rise further. Now, a geomagnetic storm alert has been issued which could trigger a solar storm.Also Read: Volatile Sunspot all set to spew out solar flare Geomagnetic storm alertAccording to a report by spaceweather.com, forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have issued a minor geomagnetic storm alert as a G1-class geomagnetic storm could hit Earth on March 9. ...
Technology

Aditya-L1 mission starts collecting solar wind data; Know what ISRO has revealed

Aditya-L1 mission, India's maiden solar mission, is dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of the sun. Recently, it has achieved a significant milestone by initiating observations of solar wind. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) shared the successful activation of the Aditya Solar Wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX) payload. Check here to know all about this recent achievement.Aditya-L1 mission observations of solar wind initiatedISRO shared that the Aditya Solar Wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX) payload onboard the satellite has commenced its operations and is performing normally. The ISRO also shared an image on X (formerly Twitter) that illustrates the energy variations in proton and alpha particle counts captured by the new payload. ISRO posted, “The Solar Wind Ion Spectrome...
Technology

Sun’s spectacular ‘Canyon of Fire’ on Halloween stuns scientists

The Sun has been acting up over the recent months and space scientists have been privy to some amazing sights. And now, yet another such spectacle has played out and this time during a festival. On October 31, Halloween took an astronomically awesome turn when the Sun threw up a colossal 'canyon of fire' stretching across its southern hemisphere. This mesmerising spectacle resulted from a massive eruption of a magnetic filament originating from our star, Spaceweather.com reported. This remarkable phenomenon quickly captured the attention of scientists and stargazers alike.The enormous magnetic solar filaments, composed of electrified gas, known as plasma, hovered above the Sun's surface. These filaments trace their path through the Sun's atmosphere under the influence of the Sun's magn...
Technology

Geomagnetic storm sparks breathtaking auroras; Know details of CME impact

The intensity of the Sun's activity has been rising in the last few months, and it is expected to increase even more as we approach the solar maximum. During this period, solar activity is at its peak, resulting in more solar flares, CMEs, solar storms and geomagnetic storms. All these solar phenomena hold the potential to cause damage on Earth. Technological instruments are especially at risk during these events, resulting in power blackouts and even disruption of radio communication.A few days ago, the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted that a CME was on course for Earth, and could hit the planet soon. Geomagnetic storm impactAccording to a report by spaceweather.com, the CME impact occurred on October 20, wh...
Technology

Aditya-L1 mission: ISRO fixes course of spacecraft rocketing towards the Sun

India's first solar space observatory, Aditya-L1, is now on its way to the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point-1 (L1), which is about 1.5 million kilometers away from Earth. Aditya-L1 mission has gone off perfectly and it is expected to make yet another amazing achievement for India and ISRO scientists. But before reaching its destination, ISRO had to make a small adjustment in the path of the Aditya-L1 mission spacecraft.Recently, Aditya-L1 mission spacecraft performed a Trajectory Correction Maneuver (TCM) on October 6. This maneuver was necessary to make sure Aditya-L1 stay on the right course after a previous operation called Trans-Lagrangian Point-1 Insertion (TL1I), which happened on September 19, 2023. We are now on WhatsApp. Click to join. Aditya-L1 mission: Journey So FarThe TCM was a qu...
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Shocking find by NASA Parker Solar Probe; Lightning on Venus may be meteors crashing

NASA is running various space missions to find out the secrets of the universe. One of the major missions of the space agency is the Parker Solar probe. The spacecraft has been tasked with orbiting the Sun to find out crucial data around sunspots, solar flares, coronal mass ejections (CME), and solar storms. However, in its journey, it routinely flies past Venus. And this has allowed Parker Solar Probe to possibly find the reason behind one of the biggest phenomena that has confused scientists for years. It found that the lightning on Venus may not actually be lightning at all. In fact, they are likely to be meteors that are striking the planet and are burning up in its atmosphere.Venus lightning stormsThe revelation came in 2021 when the Parker Solar Probe executed a routine flyby of ...
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Aditya-L1 mission: Massive data coming, here is how ISRO is preparing for it

The Aditya L-1 mission spacecraft is well on its way to the L-1 point from where it will constantly watch the Sun. ISRO expects it to generate massive amounts of data and for that, it will require huge manpower. The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK) recently hosted the fifth Aditya-L1 Mission workshop in collaboration with the Aryabhatta Observational Science Research Institute (ARIES), Nainital. This three-day workshop was organised by the Department of Physics at IIT Kanpur and the Aditya-L1 Support Cell. These efforts are expected to yield great results derived from the information provided by Aditya L-1.Bridging Theory and PracticeThe Aditya-L1 Mission, undertaken by ISRO, marks India's inaugural journey to study the Sun, its atmosphere, and its influence on Earth. IITK ...
Technology

Solar storm alert as CME approaches Earth! Will it spark a Geomagnetic storm today?

When Geomagnetic storms hit Earth, they have the potential to wreak havoc on technological instruments, if they are strong enough. If the initial solar storm churned up by the Sun is weak, it means the impact on Earth will be of much less severity. Although some of the sunspots on the solar surface never even explode, it is important to know the potential impact of such an intense explosion of solar matter. When the approaching CME interacts with Earth's magnetic field, it results in the formation of geomagnetic storms, which are rated on the basis of their intensity. G5-class Geomagnetic storms are the most potent geomagnetic events ever observed and they can send humanity back to the Middle Ages as far as technological prowess is concerned.Now, in a new development, forecasters at th...
Technology

Geomagnetic storm could be triggered by CME today, says NOAA

Geomagnetic storm today: NASA's Parker Solar Probe on September 5 recorded one of the most powerful Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) ever as it flew by the Sun. According to NASA, the CME hurled out interplanetary dust to about 6 million miles, which is one-sixth of the distance between the Sun and Mercury. Astonishingly, the dust floating around in space replenished it almost immediately. Guillermo Stenborg, an astrophysicist at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) who led this study said, “These interactions between CMEs and dust were theorized two decades ago, but had not been observed until Parker Solar Probe viewed a CME act like a vacuum cleaner, clearing the dust out of its path.”In a separate development, forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra...
Technology

Geomagnetic storm caused by CME sparks rare red auroras over Scotland

Solar activity has been on an upward trend in the last few months and it is expected to increase as the Sun approaches the solar maximum. Earth is set to be in the firing line of CMEs, solar storms, geomagnetic storms, and more as the peak of the Sun's 11-year solar cycle nears. Therefore, it is imperative that we keep a check on the volatile nature of the Sun for any activity that threatens Earth. Astonishingly, the present cycle has exceeded the expectations of scientists as the number of sunspots till now has already passed the total number predicted in this cycle.In a recent development, experts have revealed details about the rare form of auroras that were sparked due to a CME hitting Earth. Know details of this phenomenon and the geomagnetic storm that sparked it. CME sparks red ...