Visitors to Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park in Maine Friday evening witnessed the cosmic showing of the aurora borealis, or more widely known as the Northern Lights. Due to a solar storm, those living in the Northern United States were able to see this event -- which is usually exclusive to those who live in high latitudes. Experts are now saying the combined energy from two recent storms have caused the Space Weather Prediction Center to issue a strong geomagnetic storm watch for Saturday.
Solar storms are the result of the sun projecting a burst of gas containing magnetic properties. This event is called a coronal mass ejection, which is sometimes associated with solar flares. Both of the recent solar events have been linked to solar flares. Space weather experts aren't too sure on what the impact of these flares will do to Earth. Solar storms have the capability to knock out power, interfere with GPS and radio communications, and damage satellites. Lika Guhathakurta, program scientist with NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory says that solar storms don't affect humans on the ground, but astronauts could be at risk. Yet, NASA still has the ability to protect the crew, therefore diminishing some of the risks.
Events like these remind me how small this planet truly is and how little control we have over space and nature. While stunning and harmless to us physically, it raises questions on how much more power would it take to take out power grids worldwide? We've become increasingly more dependent on communication and without that, we could be in trouble if something that dynamic occurred.
We like to think we are invincible, because we have created so much, and reached out to the other worlds around us. This is just a reminder of how fragile we are, and how aware we are of what is going on around us.
ReplyDeletethe solar system interests me so much. this was very amusing for me.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could've been there to see it!! It looks beautiful.
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ReplyDeletewow just to imagine this is possible, like this actually happens... its just incredible Sharon cordon 4th period
ReplyDeleteThis solar flares and the resulting aurora are pretty cool. It's good that it's not like the one from that movie Knowing though.
ReplyDeleteThis is so interesting! I think it's so great how there is so much out there, in space, that we have no idea about.. So many undiscovered things that are exciting and seemingly unnatural to our world. This is just another one of those interesting and unique showings of the universe's habits being displayed on earth.. So cool! I wish I could see it in person..
ReplyDelete-Sophia Davison