Aurora and CME's

Orion402

With familiarity, it becomes easy to appreciate why certain CME's produce brilliant Auroras including one which occurred today (6th September) and will be felt soon around the poles and lower latitudes.

https://sol24.net/data/html/SOHO/C3/96H/VIDEO/

A blast of radiation in the direction of the Earth is registered as omni-directional by the C3 camera tracking with the Earth, whereas blasts in other directions appear as jets either side of the central Sun.

* In case somebody grumbles that these events are astronomical and don't belong in a weather forum-

https://www.met.ie/education/the-northern-lights

highdef

I'm no astronomer but that looks the blast occurred on the far side of the sun and is moving away from Earth. I could very much be incorrect though.

Orion402

Yes, it sure could.

highdef

I found this on a website called spaceweather:

A MAJOR EXPLOSION ON THE FARSIDE OF THE SUN: Something just exploded on the farside of the sun. NASA's STEREO-A spacecraft recorded a magnificent full-halo CME emerging during the late hours of Sept. 5th

Source:

https://www.spaceweather.com/

Can't find a direct link specifically relating to this story but it appears at the top of the news feed, at least it does on the Windows 10 computer I'm using right now.

Orion402

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119578210#Comment_119578210

Really cool.

So, a flare and a CME is omni-directional when it happens directly facing the Earth or in the opposite direction, whereas it appears like a jet when at right angles or an oblique angle to the Earth.

Thanks for that.

Elmer Blooker

my god! maybe it’s just as well it’s on the far side of the sun! If the major storm of 1859 wreaked havoc then what would a similar storm do now!

https://www.history.com/.amp/news/a-perfect-solar-superstorm-the-1859-carrington-event

Danno

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119580086#Comment_119580086

Amazing read and it certainly would be worth a look to see if any unusual weather occurred because of this!

Orion402

Venus will take a direct hit from that CME in being the opposite side of the Sun presently as well as being on the opposite side of the solar system-

As Venus has only residual rotation, it has no magnetic field to deflect the incoming deluge of radiation so would create a hot flow anomaly and what is called a bowshock with no protection for that planet's atmosphere-

https://www.sott.net/article/242552-Space-Weather-Explosions-On-Venus

Lots of issues to consider by making planetary comparisons between our home planet and sister planet as Venus has no plate tectonics but a lot of volcanism, no spherical deviation between equatorial and polar diameters, no seasons and all related to dynamics. All things are in flux so a little dismayed when 1912 was registered as the coldest/dullest year the last century in another thread, nobody bothered to look up the geological component of a massive eruption that year.

Lovely that this thread is an example of information sharing for a clearer picture of events.

Popoutman

(I've got some users on ignore, and I always suggest others do the same, at least for that particular user)

That particular flare this week on the far side is interesting, but absolutely not anything significant to worry about even if it were pointing directly at us.

The Sun across the central few years of the solar activity cycle does cook off quite a few X-class flares. They are not particularly rare. The average of X-class flares over the past ~30 years is about 1.2 X-class flares per month. Since the ~00's when we've had the ability to constantly get the xray flux of flares from satellites, we've had six flares of greater than X10 in strength, one of which was ~X26 or larger, and one large farside flare that was unseen but very large. Sure, the X20+ flares would have power distribution issues if earth-directed, but those are appearing to be once per 20 years or so and much less if looking at Earth-directed.

Weather wise, there's not much effect from specific flares on tropospheric weather. There are possible effects of great cloud cover with more nucleation sites due to increased cosmic rays but the research is still out on that. Otherwise, the effects most noted are the aurorae, and possibly a little temporary loss of some ozone. I've ignored the effect on human technological stuff here, but this is the weather forum after all :)

Orion402

The topic is in the title of the thread and 'worry' plays no part in this discussion which is very much part of an interdisciplinary approach between solar system research and weather. It includes planetary comparisons with our sister planet Venus in terms of climate and geology for all components are linked through differential rotation across latitudes (Earth) or lack of it (Venus).

Coming to know the inner solar system where our parent star resides is not a dull and dreary exercise, but full of events that largely go unnoticed even though they delight those who make an effort. It doesn't beg doom-mongers as the topic is written for the curious who can appreciate visual affirmations of past or future events and always open to improvement.

https://sol24.net/data/html/SOHO/C3/96H/VIDEO/

Within a week, Mercury will be seen moving from left to right in passing between the central Sun and the slower moving Earth. People can easily spot this as the stars change position from left to right of the central Sun as a reflection of the orbital speed and motion of the Earth. As Mercury moves faster than the Earth, it can be seen to move from left to right faster than the background stars.

All the grumbling are from those who, because of their dullness, can't enjoy what observations provide while everyone else comes to expand their perspectives made possible with satellites. This thread is for those who appreciate Aurorae are a signature of how the Earth's magnetic field (due to rotation) protects us while giving us a gorgeous spectacle-

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/learn-about/space-weather/auroras

Orion402

How the normal extension of condolences to English members of a weather forum became a federal case with all sorts of complications certainly is an occasion to reconsider what I am dealing with here. It ended with someone doubting my existence for goodness sake.

There is a great deal of comfort in recognising the significant end of an era or indeed the wonderful traits which accompany a vocation to make the world better in a dull and dreary atmosphere and the complaints that significant events are off-topic.

I have no imperatives or insults for anyone, after all, people with courage and decency wouldn't act or reason this way.