Our Sun is a dynamic headliner , forever bomb our satellite with consign particles that do aurorae and geomagnetic storms . Now , a squad of researchers found that an energetic outburst by our star disrupted our planet ’s magnetic field of view for two hour in 2023 .
The issue take place on April 24 , 2023 , whena coronal mass ejection ( CME)—a volley of solar irradiation from the Sun — swept over our planet . CMEs are generally dissipated than theAlfvén speed , or the speed of charismatic field lines through plasma .
But that was n’t the case in later April of last year , when NASA ’s Magnetospheric Multiscale commission note an Alfvén speed faster than the CME that swept towards our planet . The missionary post detected electron and ion energy fluxes , and changes in electron tightness , as the solar event passed through . The CME caused Earth’sbow jounce — the shockwave that typically forms when a CME hits Earth ’s magnetised airfield — to disappear for two hour , from more or less 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. ET . The team ’s analysis of the surprising solar issue waspublishedlast hebdomad inGeophysical Research Letters .
An artist’s concept of a massive solar burst, with Earth for scale.Illustration: NASA/GSFC/SDO
“ The terrestrial bow shock disappear , leave the magnetosphere expose directly to the dusty CME plasma and the strong magnetic subject field from the Sun ’s corona , ” the written report authors write in the paper . “ Our results show that the magnetosphere transforms from its typical sock - like configuration to having wing that magnetically connect our planet to the Sun . ”
These structures — telephone Alfvén wing — play as a highway transport blood plasma between the Sun and Earth ’s magnetosphere , according to anAmerican Geophysical Union release . The squad noted that Alfvén backstage aurorae could take place on Earth , and could be observed in future field of study .
“ The wings are main road for Earth ’s plasm to be lost to the Sun , and for the plasm from the foot points of the Sun ’s erupt fluxion forget me drug to get at Earth ’s ionosphere , ” the team added . “ Our work indicate highly dynamic contemporaries and interaction of the wing filament , shedding new light source on how sub - Alfvénic plasm wind may impact astrophysical bodies in our solar and other stellar system . ”
CMEs should not be disconcert with solar flare , the vivid events that can causegeomagnetic storm on Earth . Asexplained by EarthSky , both solar flares and CMEs are due to realignments of the Sun ’s charismatic fields , pushing zip out into space . Solar flares are shining flashes on the Sun ’s airfoil , but CMEs launching mesmerize particles into blank space , sometimes in Earth ’s instruction .
The squad add up that “ Sun - Earth connection through Alfvén backstage is analogous to the Jupiter - Ganymede connexion , ” suggest thataurorae on Jupiter ’s moonshine Ganymedemay be forged by similar Alfvén annex tract .
More observance could reveal how the Sun ’s muscular outburst affects other celestial body in our cosmic neighborhood . But as far as Earth ’s magnetic field is concern , everything is back to normal … for now !
Magnetic FieldsSolar Systemthe Sun
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