SOLAR STORMS

SOLAR STORMS

TOPIC: Science & Tech

Context- Through analysis of ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica, a research team has found evidence of an extreme solar storm that occurred about 9,200 years ago.

Concept-

What is a Solar Storm?

• A solar storm or a Coronal Mass Ejection as astronomers call it is an ejection of highly magnetized particles from the sun.
• These particles can travel several million km per hour and can take about 13 hours to five days to reach Earth.
• Earth’s atmosphere protects us, humans, from these particles.
• This field of research helps to understand Space Weather.
• They can trigger intense light in the sky on Earth, called auroras.
  • Some of the energy and small particles travel down the magnetic field lines at the north and south poles into Earth’s atmosphere.
  • There, the particles interact with gases in the atmosphere resulting in beautiful displays of light in the sky.
  • The aurora in Earth’s northern atmosphere is called an aurora borealis or northern lights. It’s southern counterpart is called an aurora australis or the southern lights.