SOLAR STORMS

May 20 2025SCIENCE

Ancient Solar Storm: A Glimpse into Earth's Past

The sun has always been a powerful force, but 14, 300 years ago, it unleashed a solar storm that was off the charts. This storm was so intense that it left a mark on Earth's atmosphere that scientists could still detect today. It was so powerful that it was more than 500 times stronger than the most intense solar storm in modern history, the 2003 Halloween Solar Stor...

reading time about 2 minutes
Dec 22 2024SCIENCE

The Sun's Secret: A Spacecraft's Daring Adventure

Imagine a spacecraft flying closer to the sun than ever before! Meet the Parker Solar Probe, NASA's latest mission to unravel the mysteries of our star. This isn't just a quick hello; the probe will zoom through the sun's super-hot outer atmosphere, the corona, getting as close as 3. 8 million miles to the sun's surface on Tuesday. That's like standing on the 4-yard ...

reading time about 1 minute
Nov 28 2024WEATHER

Seeing Northern Lights This Thanksgiving: A Possibility!

Get ready! This Thanksgiving, a special treat might be in store for parts of the U. S. Solar storms could paint the night sky with faint auroras. It's a fun natural show, but it depends on how strong the solar storms are. Some states are in a great spot to catch a glimpse: Washington, Montana, the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Maine. Even the northern ...

reading time about 1 minute
Nov 16 2024SCIENCE

Boosting Space Weather Tracking with Mini Quantum Magnetometers

Space storms can cause big changes in the magnetosphere and ionosphere, leading to ground-induced currents that matter a lot for both engineering and science. Right now, we use big networks of ground magnetometers to measure this, usually set up at special observatory sites. But what if we could make this network even better? Scientists have found that adding remote ...

reading time less than a minute
Oct 11 2024SCIENCE

Solar Fireworks: Auroras Light Up the Night

You might have heard about solar storms, but did you know they can paint some incredible colors in the sky? These storms send out solar flares and coronal mass ejections, which are like powerful bursts of energy from the sun. When these particles reach Earth, they interact with gases in our atmosphere, creating what we call the northern lights or aurora borealis, and...

reading time less than a minute
Oct 11 2024WEATHER

Space Weather Delays Hurricane Recovery

Ever heard of a solar storm affecting hurricane recovery? Well, that's what's happening now. Last night and today, space had a dramatic meltdown, creating a "severe" G4 geomagnetic storm. This storm lit up the sky with beautiful auroras across the U.S. But the fun didn't stop there. The storm is expected to continue into Friday, affecting recovery efforts for Hurrica...

reading time about 1 minute