European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet doesn’t want to leave behind any chance of showcasing his photography skills before coming back to Earth. The astronaut was able to capture this year’s super intense solar storm from the ISS.
The rare event saw Earth’s atmosphere bombarded with Sun’s highly charged particles. The weather also triggers some mesmerizing natural phenomena, visible from both ground and orbit.
Auroras getting more intense
“We were treated to the strongest auroras of the entire mission, over north America and Canada,” Pesquet tweeted “Amazing spikes higher than our orbit, and we flew right above the center of the ring, rapid waves and pulses all over.”
Auroras occur when Sun’s incoming particles become trapped in the Earth’s magnetosphere, the oblong magnetic shield surrounding Earth. Some of these rays collide with atoms in the Earth’s upper atmosphere, releasing energy in the form of light. Billions of such collisions result in auroras, as shown in the image shared by Pesquet.
The Sun’s activity has reached intense levels, a period called the solar maximum, during its 11-year cycle. This stretch makes auroras more intense.
Solar storm causing irregularities on Earth
Previously, the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), which is run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said that the solar storm might cause “power system voltage irregularities.”
Spacecraft could also “experience surface charging” which could be the reason for hazardous discharges of excess electrons, while low Earth-orbit satellites could run into “orientation problems” due to increased drag. GPS system might also run into intermittent issues.
As per the space agency, last month one flare was so intense that it was categorized as an X1-class flare, which is said to be one of the most intense kinds. The current solar storm is also causing the northern lights across North America. According to the SWPC’s statement, auroras “may be seen as low as Pennsylvania to Iowa to Oregon.”
