On October 9 , the Sun had spectacular body process draw a bead on right at Earth . Our star emit an M1.6 class flare pass and a coronal passel exclusion ( CME ) . A inundation of fast electrically bear down particle was flung at our planet , hitting it on October 12 . Insights into the peculiar consequence have been reported byNASA .
These flare and CME can be severe but luckily this was not the case this time . The flare itself was several hundred times weaker than the most knock-down one ever recorded , even weaker if we include the approximation for the 1859 " Carrington event " – the strong geomagnetic tempest in story . The case of this week led toan increment in aurorean activityat the poles .
When CME particles interact with the Earth ’s magnetised field , they are carried towards the poles . There they might terminate up slamming into the standard atmosphere , free brightness . These are the Northern and Southern Lights or Aurorae Borealis and Australis , respectively .
The activity across the night between October 11 and 12 was quite high so northern lights were visible as low as the north of England in Europe and the northerly portion of Iowa and Nebraska in the US . In the southerly cerebral hemisphere , Tasmania and the Southern Island of New Zealand / Aotearoa were the limit for visibility .
Higher latitudes appreciated the spectacle in full , with twiddle aurorae dancing in the nighttime sky of both hemispheres . sensational look-alike have been share of the events of the last few days . Just find out the Northern Light tag end onInstagramto get an idea .
From space , the event was equally spectacular . NASA ’s Solar Dynamics Observatory showed the flare pass being emitted right at us , flashing bright and well outshining the skirt region . But the scale of the event is picture in its true immenseness by another NASA missionary station . STEREO - A. This observatory is place further forwards on the Earth ’s orbit so can await at the Sun from the side .
And on the observation from last workweek , it show clearly the powerful CME being released towards our major planet . NASA ’s Moon to Mars Space Weather Operations Office estimate that at the point of release , the CME particles were traveling at approximately 983 kilometers per second ( 610 miles per second ) .
