Latest news with #Space.com
Time of India
19 minutes ago
- Science
- Time of India
Solar storm alert! Powerful G4-class geomagnetic activity expected on Earth after massive solar eruption on June 2
Source: A high-velocity solar storm , triggered by the Sun's most powerful eruption of the year, is currently interacting with Earth's magnetic field. Space weather experts have warned about potential G4-class geomagnetic storm conditions—one of the more severe classifications expected to peak today, June 2. The origin of this solar unrest is a coronal mass ejection (CME) discharged on May 31 by a very active sunspot area AR4100. The phenomenon has quickly grown to become a serious space weather event, with close monitoring from researchers and agencies around the globe. Powerful solar storm to impact Earth on June 2 with G4 geomagnetic activity Both NASA and the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have attested to the energetic magnitude of this eruption, declaring it a very strong CME. The unusual agreement between these preeminent space weather authorities emphasizes the gravity of the present geomagnetic perturbation. The CME from sunspot AR4100 is presently directly affecting Earth's space environment, with real-time impacts already being visible in satellite systems and geomagnetic observations. May 31 saw sunspot AR4100 produce an M8.2-class solar flare, short of achieving the X-class benchmark that represents the highest intensity level. While just shy of that benchmark, the unusually prolonged period and constant release of energy by the flare made it more impactful overall. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Dinheiro pra você organizar suas contas! Banco BV Saiba Mais Undo The solar flare continued for over three hours, giving the CME immense momentum and velocity. The material ejected from the sun, which moved at a speed of about 1,938 kilometers per second, was seen in a "halo" configuration by NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), showing a full-spectrum ejection heading toward Earth. CME hits Earth on June 1, strongest geomagnetic impact expected today The CME arrived at Earth's magnetosphere on June 1 and has been causing disruptions in geomagnetic conditions ever since. The most profound effects are due to occur today. If the internal magnetic field of the CME is oriented southward, as against Earth's, the storm may move into G4-class levels, causing several disruptions: Widespread auroras – Bright displays of the northern lights can be seen much farther south than normal, possibly extending as far as northern parts of the United States, Canada, and Europe. Satellite and GPS interference – Very high solar radiation and charged particle levels can interfere with satellite communications and perturb GPS measurements. Power grid instability – A geomagnetic storm with high intensity can cause additional currents in long-distance transmission lines, stressing or even damaging the power infrastructure. Powerful solar storm offers rare insights While it does not surpass the G5-class storm in May 2024, this storm is one of the strongest events in Solar Cycle 25. For scientists, it provides a valuable chance to learn how these events develop and influence Earth. For amateur astronomers, it's an unusual opportunity to view intense auroral activity. Geomagnetic storms such as this one serve to remind us of the vulnerability of our planet to solar weather. Ranging from affecting satellites and communications to presenting danger to aviation and power grids, these storms emphasize the value of solar forecasting and preparedness. As the Sun moves toward its solar maximum—projected between 2025 and 2026—their occurrence and power may intensify. Ongoing observation and monitoring are paramount for ensuring our technological infrastructure and systems remain robust against such cosmic energies. Northern lights may shine brightest tonight As scientists track the storm's evolution, members of the public may be treated to one of the most thrilling displays of nature. For those in the northern latitudes, it could well be the ideal evening to gaze upwards—with cameras at the ready—to capture the eerie light of the auroras. And as ever during such space weather, it's always a good idea to keep GPS and communication equipment monitored, just in case the Sun gets carried away with its cosmic display a bit longer. Also Read | NASA's James Webb Space Telescope discovers earliest galaxy ever seen in the universe
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Severe G4 geomagnetic storm sparks northern lights across US and beyond (photos)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Wow, what a show! Our planet is currently reverberating from the impact of a powerful coronal mass ejection (CME) that struck Earth head-on in the early hours of June 1 — and the resulting auroras were absolutely stunning. The CME erupted during an M8.2 class solar flare eruption on May 30 at 8:05 p.m. EDT (00:05 GMT on May 31) and has been racing toward Earth at nearly 1,938 km/s or 4.3 million mph. When it slammed into Earth's magnetic field, the impact triggered a severe (G4) geomagnetic storm, which in turn led to striking auroras deep into mid-latitudes. CMEs carry electrically charged atoms, known as ions. When these ions collide with Earth's magnetosphere, they can trigger geomagnetic storms — major disturbances in Earth's magnetosphere. During such storms, the ions interact with gases in Earth's atmosphere, releasing energy in the form of light. This light is observed as the northern lights, or aurora borealis, in the Northern Hemisphere, and the southern lights, or aurora australis, in the Southern Hemisphere. Geomagnetic storms are classified using a G-scale that measures their intensity, ranging from G1 for minor storms to G5, the most extreme. The severe geomagnetic storm conditions reached last night were relished by aurora chasers in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres (those who were still awake anyway). It's likely that the active geomagnetic storm conditions will continue for some time, which is good news for those in Europe, where the sun was already up when this G4 storm began. "G4 storm conditions reached! We are still in the early part of the CME and the ongoing geomagnetic storm, more to come. 12 hours to go for Europe," aurora chaser Jure Atanackov wrote in a post on X. While we wait to see what's in store for tonight, let's first sit back, relax and enjoy the stunning show from last night captured by avid aurora chasers around the world. Terry Griffin captured some beautiful aurora pillars during the geomagnetic storm with his Samsung S24 Ultra. "The white pillars stood out to the naked eye more so than the colors," Griffin told in an email. Griffin captured this impressive photograph at 2:39 a.m. local time from St. George, Kansas, U.S. "Sat the phone on the ground and tilted it up. Easy peasy," Griffin continued. Aurora chaser Brendon captured some fabulous shots of the aurora from the North side of Cheyenne, Wyoming. "Ok, so that was a show," Brendon wrote in a post on X. Aurora photographer Derick Wilson captured a stunning hyper-lapse of the northern lights dancing over Farmington, New Mexico, at 2:15 a.m. local time. "Visible aurora this far south is such a rare occurrence I knew to keep an eye on the solarwind data," Wilson told in an email. "When the expected solarstorm arrived early I knew I had to get far from city lights. And it's amazing what cell phone cameras can capture these days." "Discreet rays occasionally drifted eastward but went diffuse and faded.... For now," Wilson wrote in a post on X. The thick smoke from wildfires was no match for the northern lights above Minnesota, U.S. "Smokey auroras tonight in Northern Minnesota. It was strong enough for the aurora to completely visible to naked eye. As well tint of red color to the naked eye," Gabe Zogo wrote in a post on X. Auroras were also spotted over San Diego, California, during the early phase of the solar storm. "Nice catch! Confirmed #aurora visible on webcams as far south as San Diego, California, USA during the early phase of this ongoing #solarstorm," Space weather physicist Tamitha Skov wrote in a post on X. Southern Hemisphere skywatchers also got quite the treat last night, with vibrant red and pink auroras documented above Queenstown, Tasmania. Sai Shankar captured these stunning photographs from Kaikoura, New Zealand, around 9:35 p.m. local time (5:35 a.m. EDT or 0945 GMT). Image 1 of 2 Image 2 of 2 "I saw similar Auroras in May and October of last year, from Banks Peninsula, near Christchurch. This is the first time I've imaged from further north - I happened to be in Kaikoura photographing whales in the morning," Shankar told in an email. Amateur astronomer and photographer Paul Stewart captured a striking red aurora show above New Zealand. "Bit of an #Aurora going on in New Zealand tonight," Stewart wrote in a post on X. Photographer Mitch Young took these beautiful photographs of the southern lights above Metung, Victoria, Australia around 7:50 p.m. local time. Young used 10s exposure on an iPhone 16 Pro Max to capture these shots. Editor's note: If you snap a great picture of the northern or southern lights and would like to share it with readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
The northern lights may be visible in Mass. Sunday night
The northern lights may be visible in Massachusetts Sunday night, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA's aurora borealis predictor puts much of the Bay State below the view line for the natural light show Sunday night, which indicates the southern-most location from which the northern lights may be seen in the northern part of the sky. The aurora borealis may be visible in Massachusetts Sunday night because active geomagnetic conditions may push auroras farther south than usual, according to 'Space weather forecasters are forecasting strong (G3) geomagnetic storm conditions with the possibility of severe (G4) conditions thanks to both elevated solar winds and an Earth-directed coronal mass ejection (CME),' the astronomy news website reported Saturday. The skies over Massachusetts are predicted to be mostly clear Sunday night, according to the National Weather Service. recommends 1 a.m. to 2 a.m. as the best window for viewing the northern lights. 'But remember, auroras are fickle — sometimes they appear much farther south than predicted, and other times they barely show up at all. Many conditions have to align for the perfect display," the astronomy news website reported. Mass. weather: Temperatures to heat up the first week of June Update: Flood advisory affecting Berkshire County until Saturday evening due to substantial downpours Update: Rip current statement issued for Dukes and Nantucket counties until Sunday evening Wind advisory affecting 5 Massachusetts counties until Saturday night – gusts up to 50 mph Street flooding possible in Mass. Saturday due to widespread showers, thunderstorms Read the original article on MassLive.
Miami Herald
a day ago
- Science
- Miami Herald
1st New Zealander reaches space on Blue Origin flight
May 31 (UPI) -- Blue Origin's 12th human spaceflight carried the first New Zealander into space and back on Saturday morning in West Texas. The flight carried six passengers beyond the Karman Line, which is the internationally established boundary between space and Earth's atmosphere at an elevation of 62 miles, reported. Among the passengers was Mark Rocket, who is an aerospace executive from Christchurch, New Zealand, and is that nation's first citizen to reach space. Rocket changed his surname many years ago in honor of his passion for space travel, TVNZ1 reported on May 22. "Ever since I was a kid, I've always been fascinated by space technology and space travel," he said. "We live in a solar system, which is vast; a galaxy, which is vast; and this incredible universe, which is just hard to imagine." Rocvket's fascination with space led to a career in aerospace, and before the flight he said he was looking forward to experiencing "3Gs of rocket-powered flight up to space." Rocket is the president of Aerospace New Zealand and ownsKea Aerospace, which is developing a solar-powered, unmanned aircraft capable of reaching the stratosphere to collect high-resolution data of the Earth below it. Other crew members The flight also carried K-12 STEM teacher Aymette Medina Jorge, former Panamanian ambassador to the United States Jaime Aleman and radiologist GretchenGreen into space, according to Blue Origin. Also aboard the spaceflight were businessman Jesse Williams and entrepreneur Paul Jeris. The six passengers were weightless for about three minutes while getting a unique view of the world from space. Upon landing back on Earth, Green called the experience "perfection." "There are very few things in life that were true perfection," Green told "When I looked out at space and back down to the Earth, [it] was perfect." 32nd successful spaceflight The spaceflight was the 32nd for Jeff Bezos-owned Blue Origin and its New Shepard program and launched at 8:39 a.m. CDT from Blue Origin's Launch Site One about 30 miles north of Van Horn near the U.S.-Mexico border. The New Shepard launch vehicle included the capsule that carried its passengers and a booster rocket. The capsule and booster rocket are reusable. The booster rocket separated from the capsule about 2.5 minutes into the flight, which allowed the capsule to continue its ascent into space before returning to Earth. The autonomous capsule used a propulsive system to slow its descent while making a vertical landing on a concrete pad near where it launched. New Shepard is named after Alan Shepard, the first American in space in 1961 and 10 years year was the fifth person to walk on the moon. The program is intended the ferry humans and scientific payloads into space. "We thank our customers for trusting us to give them the opportunity to appreciate Earth's fragility from above," said Phil Joyce, senior vice president of New Shepard. Joyce said the experience "truly transforms those who embark on it." Blue Origin's New Shepard program has carried 64 people into space and back, including singer Katy Perry and CBS broadcast Gayle King. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
UPI
a day ago
- Science
- UPI
1st New Zealander reaches space on Blue Origin flight
May 31 (UPI) -- Blue Origin's 12th human spaceflight carried the first New Zealander into space and back on Saturday morning in West Texas. The flight carried six passengers beyond the Karman Line, which is the internationally established boundary between space and Earth's atmosphere at an elevation of 62 miles, reported. Among the passengers was Mark Rocket, who is an aerospace executive from Christchurch, New Zealand, and is that nation's first citizen to reach space. Rocket changed his surname many years ago in honor of his passion for space travel, TVNZ1 reported on May 22. "Ever since I was a kid, I've always been fascinated by space technology and space travel," he said. "We live in a solar system, which is vast; a galaxy, which is vast; and this incredible universe, which is just hard to imagine." Rocvket's fascination with space led to a career in aerospace, and before the flight he said he was looking forward to experiencing "3Gs of rocket-powered flight up to space." Rocket is the president of Aerospace New Zealand and ownsKea Aerospace, which is developing a solar-powered, unmanned aircraft capable of reaching the stratosphere to collect high-resolution data of the Earth below it. Other crew members The flight also carried K-12 STEM teacher Aymette Medina Jorge, former Panamanian ambassador to the United States Jaime Aleman and radiologist GretchenGreen into space, according to Blue Origin. Also aboard the spaceflight were businessman Jesse Williams and entrepreneur Paul Jeris. The six passengers were weightless for about three minutes while getting a unique view of the world from space. Upon landing back on Earth, Green called the experience "perfection." "There are very few things in life that were true perfection," Green told "When I looked out at space and back down to the Earth, [it] was perfect." 32nd successful spaceflight The spaceflight was the 32nd for Jeff Bezos-owned Blue Origin and its New Shepard program and launched at 8:39 a.m. CDT from Blue Origin's Launch Site One about 30 miles north of Van Horn near the U.S.-Mexico border. The New Shepard launch vehicle included the capsule that carried its passengers and a booster rocket. The capsule and booster rocket are reusable. The booster rocket separated from the capsule about 2.5 minutes into the flight, which allowed the capsule to continue its ascent into space before returning to Earth. The autonomous capsule used a propulsive system to slow its descent while making a vertical landing on a concrete pad near where it launched. New Shepard is named after Alan Shepard, the first American in space in 1961 and 10 years year was the fifth person to walk on the moon. The program is intended the ferry humans and scientific payloads into space. "We thank our customers for trusting us to give them the opportunity to appreciate Earth's fragility from above," said Phil Joyce, senior vice president of New Shepard. Joyce said the experience "truly transforms those who embark on it." Blue Origin's New Shepard program has carried 64 people into space and back, including singer Katy Perry and CBS broadcast Gayle King.
