a aurora This morning, the skies in different parts of the Spanish territory were illuminated with reddish tones. It has been seen in places such as. Caral Alto Observatoryin the mountainous region of Gelgar (Almeria) or Urdetel, after the influence of a strong magnetic storm caused by two coronal mass ejections emitted from the Sun. According to the observatory’s report, the eruptions left and transmitted solar active region 4274 at about the same time early Monday morning. magnetized plasma cloud At a speed of nearly 1,500 kilometers per second.
The material reached Earth’s atmosphere early Wednesday morning this week.with a Kp index between 8 and 9, producing a level G4 geomagnetic storm that is considered “severe”. The observatory’s sensitive cameras recorded a “spectacular” red aurora over the northern horizon for several hours. This, along with the May 2024 episode, is one of the brightest phenomena observed in the latitudes of Andalusia.
Although this phenomenon was not visible to the naked eye due to the presence of the waning moon and the subsequent arrival of clouds, the science center has shown that when the sun’s activity is at its maximum, The possibility of new similar episodes is not excluded. Calal Alto, located at an altitude of more than 2,100 meters in the Sierra de los Filabres, also maintains a joint program with the Andalusian Institute of Astrophysics (IAA-CSIC) for the detection of bolides and luminescent atmospheric phenomena within the SMART project.
“Severe” solar storm
It has been classified as a “solar storm” by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).strictThey were launched as they collided with Earth’s magnetic field this Wednesday Notification to infrastructure operators Important to reduce possible negative effects.
The various alert levels set by NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center range from “G1” (mild) to “G5” (extreme). And what was planned for today is “G4” level alert (severe) It occurs when particles ejected from the Sun collide with Earth’s electromagnetic field due to current geomagnetic storms.
In some cases, solar storms like this impacting communications on Earth And only in the most extreme cases it can not only increase the intensity of the aurora, but also affect the electrical system. NOAA reported through its social networks and website that the “core” of the solar storm, which started a few days ago at a low alert level, is currently passing over Earth and will continue to do so for the next few hours.
According to the National Geographic Institute (IGN), which relies on the Spanish government’s Ministry of Transport, geomagnetic storms are disturbances in the Earth’s magnetic field; They can last from hours to daysproduced by a sudden increase in particles ejected by solar eruptions that reach the magnetosphere and cause changes in the Earth’s magnetic field.
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