A powerful geomagnetic storm caused a spectacular display of light that was visible unusually far from Earth’s poles.
As solar cycle 25 reaches its peak, solar activity has increased significantly. This surge in activity was evident in October 2024 when a remarkable display of the aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, extended to observers on the ground beyond the Arctic Circle to midlatitude regions.
Capturing the Aurora From Space and Ground
During the night of October 10-11, millions of skywatchers witnessed the aurora’s dazzling greens, pinks, and reds. On October 11, at 1:55 a.m. Eastern Time (05:55 Universal Time), the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) aboard the NOAA-20 satellite captured a striking image of this event. The VIIRS day-night band is adept at detecting nighttime lights across a spectrum from green to near-infrared, which allows it to record various light sources, including city lights, reflected moonlight, and the vibrant auroras.
In this view, the northern lights appear as ribbons of white crossing parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan in the U.S., and several provinces in Canada. But auroras are dynamic, and different coverage and patterns of light would have been visible at other times of the night. While these satellite data are shown in grayscale, viewers on the ground saw colors from green (the most common) to purple to red. Atmospheric compounds found at different altitudes influence an aurora’s color.
The Science Behind the Northern Lights
An astronaut on the International Space Station captured the photograph below of green hues of the aurora dancing across the planet’s surface, with a layer of deep red light above.
The sun goes burp and the atmosphere turns red. Spectacular not only from Earth but from orbit as well. This event caught both @dominickmatthew and I off guard. Aurora had been just so-so; we were out of energy at the end of a long day and reluctant to once again set up our… pic.twitter.com/gL6rjUiHJQ
— Don Pettit (@astro_Pettit) October 11, 2024
Geomagnetic Storms and Their Impact
The light show was the visible manifestation of a severe geomagnetic storm—a disturbance of the upper atmosphere caused by the interaction of pressure waves and electromagnetic energy from the Sun interacting with Earth’s magnetic field, or magnetosphere.
In this case, the storm was caused by energized material emitted from the Sun, also known as a coronal mass ejection, that occurred in tandem with an intense solar flare on October 8, 2024. Whereas solar flares reach the planet in a matter of minutes and interfere with radio communications, coronal mass ejections may take several days to travel to Earth.
Coronal mass ejections contain large amounts of plasma from the Sun’s corona and carry with them an embedded magnetic field. Interactions between these expulsions from the Sun and the upper atmosphere of Earth produce the colorful auroral displays. According to NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, the storm ranked 4 out of 5 in severity.
The aurora was visible from many areas worldwide, including latitudes where sightings of auroras are uncommon. Auroras occur high in the atmosphere, so observers on the ground can potentially witness them from far away—well beyond the areas covered by the band of light in the satellite image at the top of this page. Photographs of the aurora were shared from Nevada, North Carolina, Arizona, and Texas. The National Weather Service in Lubbock, Texas, shared photos of the aurora in shades of pink and green.
NASA Earth Observatory image by Michala Garrison, using VIIRS day-night band data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE, GIBS/Worldview, and the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS).
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3 Comments
Ask the researchers：
What is the natural essence of plasma?
All things follow certain laws, which can be revealed through observation and research ( such as topological structures ). When physics is passionate about studying imaginary particles and things, it is no longer much different from theology.
Scientific research guided by correct theories can help people avoid detours, failures, and exaggeration. The physical phenomena observed by researchers in experiments are always appearances, never the natural essence of things. The natural essence of things needs to be extracted and sublimated based on mathematical theories via appearances , rather than being imagined arbitrarily.
Everytime scientific revolution, the scientific research space brought by the new paradigm expands exponentially. Physics should not ignore the analyzable physical properties of topological vortices.
(1) Traditional physics: based on mathematical formalism, experimental verification and arbitrary imagination.
(2) Topological Vortex Theory (TVT): Although also based on mathematics (such as topology), it focuses more on non intuitive geometry and topological structures, challenging traditional physical intuition.
Topological Vortex Theory (TVT) points out the limitations of the Standard Model in describing the large-scale structure of the universe, proposes the need to consider non-standard model components such as dark matter and dark energy, and suggests that topological vortex fields may be key to understanding these phenomena. Topological vortex theory (TVT) heralds innovative technologies such as topological electronics, topological smart batteries, topological quantum computing, etc., which may bring low-energy electronic components, almost inexhaustible currents, and revolutionary computing platforms, etc.
Topology tells us that topological vortices and antivortices can form new spacetime structures via the synchronous effect of superposition, deflection, or twisting of them. Mathematics does not tell us that there must be God particles, ghost particles, fermions, or bosons present. When physics and mathematics diverge, arbitrary imagination will make physics no different from theology. Topological vortex research reflections on the philosophy and methodology of science help us understand the nature essence of science and the limitations of scientific methods. This not only has guiding significance for scientific research itself, but also has important implications for science education and popularization.
Today, so-called official (such as PRL, Nature, Science, PNAS, etc.) in physics stubbornly believes that two sets of cobalt-60 rotating in opposite directions can become two sets of objects that mirror each other, is a typical case that pseudoscience is rampant and domineering.
Please witness the exemplary collaboration between theoretical physicists and experimentalists (https://scitechdaily.com/microscope-spacecrafts-most-precise-test-of-key-component-of-the-theory-of-general-relativity/#comment-854286). Let us continue to witness with facts the dirtiest and ugliest era in the history for sciences and humanities of human society. The laws of nature will not change due to misleading of certain so-called academic publications or endorsements from certain so-called scientific awards.
As some comments have stated ( https://scitechdaily.com/super-photons-unveiled-sculpting-light-into-unbreakable-communication-networks/#comment-861546 ): Fortunately, we have enough pieces to put the puzzle together properly, and there are folks who have chosen to forego today’s societal structures in order to do exactly that.
Additionally, some comments have stated ( https://scitechdaily.com/science-made-simple-what-is-nuclear-fission/#comment-862083 ): You have been spewing this type of nonsensical word salad for several years now. Outrage doesn’t equal competence. If anything, your inability to convince anyone is a sign of your incompetence. Ask the commenter：Today, so-called official (such as PRL, Nature, Science, PNAS, etc.) in physics stubbornly believes that two sets of cobalt-60 rotating in opposite directions can become two sets of objects that mirror each other, and it even won awards. These so-called academic publications blatantly talk nonsense, which is a public humiliation of the normal intellectual level of the public. Do you think this is human misfortune or personal misfortune?
Isn’t this the evil consequence of the Physics Review family misleading science? Academic circle is not Entertainment industry. Have some people really never know what shame is?
There are too many Mysterious New Particles, continuing to search may not be a bad thing, just don’t deify them.
When physics is passionate about studying imaginary particles and things, it is no longer much different from theology. They are passionate about God particles and Devil particles, and have always been immersed in supreme glory.
However, unfortunately particles are just appearances, the material basis of spacetime motion is the ideal fluid properties of space.
The plasma is just appearances, the material basis of spacetime motion is the ideal fluid properties of space.