5/20/2023 0 Comments Hole in the world tonight![]() That side – the east limb (edge) – has been full of exploding ejecta, jets and long-lasting prominences. It seems more action will soon show itself on the Earth-facing side of our star. Meanwhile, turning our heads back to the sun, we have seen an active east limb (edge). All in all, you can anticipate good conditions for auroral displays. Earth will be receiving this CME in addition to high-speed solar wind from a coronal hole. Geomagnetic storms up to G2 (moderate) are anticipated. NOAA has issued an alert for CME arrival. Today’s top news: It’s now confirmed that the coronal mass ejection ( CME) hurled to space during the full-halo event of April 21, 2023, will arrive at Earth on late April 23, or early 24. Sun activity for April 23, 2023: CME arrival soon, G2 storms anticipated Aurora chasers, stay alert! Image of aurora forecast via NOAA. The arrival of the coronal mass ejection (CME) produced during the strong full-halo event on April 21 will bring conditions for up to G2 (moderate) geomagnetic storms either late today or early tomorrow. Three weeks ago, intense solar activity created aurora australis that were visible from Tasmania and as far north as New South Wales.April 23, 2023. All that energy and those streams of particles mean auroras closer to the equator are possible. And this one’s directed towards Earth.”Īs those charged particles hit Earth’s magnetosphere, they create the auroras that are usually only seen closer to the poles. All sorts of things are blowing out from the tent. ![]() “The magnetic field that covers the sun is usually in an arc-like structure … in a coronal hole, these arches or loops have opened up, so they’re streaming directly away from the sun … these particles are then able to escape. “A coronal hole appears visually as a dark region … it’s cool, it doesn’t release much light,” Schunker said. ![]() Those particles escape through a coronal hole in that magnetic field. “The solar wind is always there, with particles streaming out from the sun, and sometimes those streams can get stronger or there can be an outburst, and this is what we call a storm,” she said. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. For more information see our Privacy Policy. Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. Schunker said the sun’s magnetic field is on an 11-year cycle and is now heading towards its most active period. If a storm reached G4 (severe) or G5 (extreme), the GPS would go down, satellites would be destroyed, aircraft could be affected and auroras would be visible as far north as Sydney, Perth and southern Queensland. At G2 and G3, the centre says, “aurora sightings from dark sky locations in southern Australia are very likely, including Tasmania and southern Victoria”. They can also affect radio frequencies and force the Australian Energy Market Operator to fix transmission outages. The activity reached G3 globally and G2 in Australia, although a G3 storm level is “possible”, according to the centre.Īt G2 (moderate) and G3 (strong), storms can disrupt satellite orbits and impact services. The Australian Space Weather Forecasting Centre said increased geomagnetic activity was expected “due to coronal hole high speed wind stream”. “If the storm is very strong, it can interfere with your power, it could completely take out a power system, so there’d be a localised blackout, if there was enough damage at a power station.” This can mean anything from interfering with satellites in orbit around the Earth, down to affecting power lines on the surface. “They can generate currents that can interfere with electronics. “So we just don’t know the full impact of what a huge solar storm could be these days,” the University of Newcastle physicist said. Solar and stellar physics expert, Dr Hannah Schunker, said the world had become “a lot more reliant on technology and power since then”. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup In 1989, a solar storm sent satellites tumbling from orbit and plunged the entire province of Quebec, Canada, into darkness.
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