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Solar activity is increasing throughout 2022, so there are many extraordinary phenomena related to solar storms. Photo/NASA Goddard
From surprise storms and massive sunspots to vibrant explosions of auroras and other strange phenomena. Here are 5 surprising solar storms in 2022, summarized from the Live Science page, Tuesday (12/27/2022).
1. Solar storms when the positions of 5 planets are aligned
An unexpected solar storm that coincides when the five planets line up is extremely rare, not happening since 1864. During a solar storm, the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn line up in the sky in order of proximity to the sun.
Read also; Super rare phenomena that will happen tomorrow! 5 planets align together
This solar storm is classified as a G1 class, meaning it is strong enough to create slight fluctuations in the power grid, cause minor impacts on satellite operations, disrupt the navigational capabilities of some migratory animals, and cause strong auroras. Solar storms like this usually originate from coronal mass ejections (CMEs), plasma jets with a magnetic field ejected from sunspots.
Uniquely, in this case the researchers could not find any evidence of CME. This has led scientists to think that these solar storms originated in the sun’s rare co-rotating interaction region (CIR). The CIR is a “transition zone” between fast- and slow-moving solar wind zones, so it can cause a buildup of plasma that is eventually released in a CME-like event.
2. Solar storm with a large plasma clot
An astrophotographer has captured this stunningly beautiful image of a huge plasma plume rising from the sun after the CME. The fiery filament was about 1 million miles or 1.6 million kilometers long.
Read also; Solar storms produce heat approaching hellish temperatures
The plasma is initially contained in a great circle connected to the sun’s surface, known as the eminence, then disconnects and flows out into space at about 100,000 mph (161,000 km/h).
The photo is a pseudo-color composite time-lapse image made up of hundreds of thousands of images taken over a six-hour period. “The biggest CME I’ve ever seen,” said photographer Andrew McCarthy.
3. A solar storm causes a radio blackout
A surprising solar flare has caused a temporary radio blackout in parts of Australia and throughout New Zealand. The flare came from a CME pointed away from Earth.
Read also; Solar storm hits Earth, radio frequency in Russia is crippled
But X-rays and ultraviolet radiation emitted by ionized atomic flares in Earth’s upper atmosphere make it impossible for them to reflect high-frequency radio waves, creating a radio blackout.
Power outages are classified from R1 to R5 according to their severity. This beacon causes a moderate blackout of category R2. The R5 outage has the ability to disrupt half the planet for several hours.
4. Solar storm with strong aurora protons
These events, known as isolated proton auroras, occur when solar particles crash into Earth’s magnetosphere and drift along magnetic field lines. The result is a faint, patchy green aurora located farther from the poles than a normal aurora.
Read also; The James Webb Telescope records the appearance of Jupiter with the beautiful aurora
These auroras produce nitrogen oxides and hydrogen oxides, which react with ozone. Fortunately, during these storms, auroras occur in the mesosphere, the third layer of the atmosphere, not the stratosphere, the second layer of the atmosphere. This means that the underside of the ozone layer remains intact and continues to provide an effective barrier against ultraviolet radiation.
5. Solar storm from the Grande Punto
The massive sunspot, roughly the same size as Earth, suddenly doubled in size during a 24-hour period earlier this year. The massive sunspot, called AR3038, grows to about 19,800 miles or 31,900 km in diameter.
Read also; In 24 hours, the giant sunspots measure 31,900 km and point towards the Earth
Scientists warn that the giant black spot, located near the sun’s equator, has the ability to emit powerful M-class flares. Even though the sunspots point toward Earth for about two weeks, they are spared direct attacks from solar storms .
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