On the night of 26 February 2023, a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) came to Earth simply as a high-speed solar wind stream whipped through the area environment around our world. Credit: © Hanna Baguley– Used with consent. Instagram: @hannabaguleyphotography
On the evening of Sunday, February 26, 2023, a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) came to Earth just as a high-speed solar wind stream whipped through the space environment around our world.
The combination of these 2 solar events caused a moderate geomagnetic storm that produced a stunning aurora noticeable as far south as southern England and main Germany.
This image was captured by photographer Hanna Baguley on the Isle of Anglesey (Ynys Môn), North Wales, UK.
The conditions are anticipated to continue, with additional auroral activity visualized for tonight, February 27.
The future ESA Vigil objective will provide a first-of-its-kind ability: keeping an eye on the Sun to offer continuous, near real-time information on possibly dangerous solar activity. Credit: ESA/A. Baker, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
The CME was related to a solar flare that took place close to midnight (UTC) on February 25. Most of it missed us and no severe impacts on facilities on Earth have been reported. What could we do if a CME was heading straight for us?
An early warning is key. ESAs upcoming Vigil mission will watch on the side of the Sun to spot any possibly hazardous solar activity before it rotates into view from Earth. The mission will give us advance caution of oncoming solar storms and therefore more time to secure spacecraft in orbit, facilities on the ground, and explorers now and in the future, unshielded by Earths magnetic field and susceptible to our stars violent outbursts.
You can track area weather occasions such as todays aurora and follow the current developments, discover the latest data, and see a forecast of possible future auroral activity on ESAs SWE Service Portal.
On the night of 26 February 2023, a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) got here at Earth just as a high-speed solar wind stream whipped through the space environment around our planet. ESAs upcoming Vigil objective will keep an eye on the side of the Sun to spot any possibly dangerous solar activity before it rotates into view from Earth. The mission will offer us advance warning of approaching solar storms and for that reason more time to safeguard spacecraft in orbit, infrastructure on the ground, and explorers now and in the future, unshielded by Earths magnetic field and susceptible to our stars violent outbursts.