May 2024 solar storms
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The solar storms of May 2024 are an ongoing powerful series of solar storms with intense to extreme solar flare and geomagnetic storm components ongoing since 10 May 2024, during solar cycle 25.[1] The storm produced aurorae at more southerly latitudes than usual.
Solar flare
On 10 May 2024, from about 06:27 to 07:06 UTC, GOES satellites detected a very strong, X3.9-class, solar flare.[note 1]
This flare originated from solar active region AR13663, the location of the largest sunspot group recorded in solar cycle 25 as of May 2024 and the largest recorded since 2014.[citation needed] The sunspot group was 17 times the diameter of Earth,[2] and was similar in size and structure to the sunspot group that caused the Carrington Event in 1859.[3] The flare was preceded by an X2.2 event on May 9 and was followed by multiple other X- and M-class flares.
The eruption of an additional X5.4 magnitude solar flare was reported 11 May 2024 at 01:23 UTC.[4]
Geomagnetic storm
These solar flares sent multiple halo coronal mass ejections (CMEs) toward Earth. These reached Earth on 10 May causing a geomagnetic storm, which so far has reached a Kp index of 9 in the late hours of 10 May corresponding to an extreme, or G5, magnetic storm and so far has registered a peak Dst of −424 nT, possibly the most intense geomagnetic storm recorded since the March 1989 geomagnetic storm.[2][failed verification] The storm was rated as the first extreme G5 storm since the 2003 Halloween solar storms by NOAA, who warned of disruptions to radio communications, power grids, GPS, satellites, and other spacecraft.[2][5]
Aurorae were seen as far north from the south pole as Australia, Argentina and Chile[6] and as far south from the north pole as France, Portugal, Spain, and Florida in the US.
Gallery
Aurorae
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Aurora as seen from Osage Beach, Missouri
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Aurora as seen from Minneapolis, Minnesota
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Aurora as seen from Pawleys Island, South Carolina
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Aurora as seen from East Sussex, UK
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Aurora as seen from Okeford Hill, Dorset, UK
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Aurora as seen from Bay View, Washington
See also
Notes
- ^ The label X3.8-class implies that the solar flare had a peak soft X-ray flux of 3.8×10−3 W/m2 in the 0.1 to 0.8 nm (1 to 8 Å) passband. (See Solar flare § Soft X-ray.)[citation needed]
References
- ^ Fritz, Angela; Hammond, Elise; Lau, Chris (2024-05-10). "Live updates: The latest on the massive solar storm". CNN. Archived from the original on 2024-05-11. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
- ^ a b c "G5 Conditions Observed! | NOAA / NWS Space Weather Prediction Center". www.spaceweather.gov. Archived from the original on 2024-05-11. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
- ^ "What's up in space". Space Weather. Archived from the original on 8 May 2024. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ "Yet Another X-class Flare! | NOAA / NWS Space Weather Prediction Center". www.swpc.noaa.gov. Archived from the original on 2024-05-11. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
- ^ Cohen, Li (2024-05-11). ""Extreme" G5 geomagnetic storm reaches Earth, NOAA says, following "unusual" solar event". CBS News. Archived from the original on 2024-05-10. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
- ^ S.A.P, El Mercurio (2024-05-10). "Imágenes: Captan sorprendente Aurora Austral en ciudades del sur de Chile en medio de alerta por tormenta solar". Emol (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2024-05-11. Retrieved 2024-05-11.