Observers the size and breadth of the UK had been handled to an excellent show of the aurora borealis in a single day on Thursday/Friday, 10/11 October 2024, throughout a particularly sturdy geomagnetic storm sparked by a long-duration X-class photo voltaic flare and coronal mass ejection or CME. The flare occurred at 0156 UTC on 9 October within the centre of the photo voltaic disc going through Earth. Particles from the eurption arrived at 1515 UTC on Thursday travelling at practically 2.4 million kiolmetres per hour (1.5 million miles per hour).
“This can be a very speedy CME,” stated Shawn Dahl, Service Coordinator for US Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Area Climate Prediction Heart. “It’s the quickest CME that we’ve measured that had a complete Earth directed part within the photo voltaic cycle so far.”
The storm registered as a G5, the utmost on the area climate scale utilized by NOAA when it points storm warnings.
The aurora borealis or Northern Lights are often not seen at decrease latitudes however that is the second G5 storm this 12 months to placed on shows for observers within the south of the UK.
“That’s extremely uncommon,” stated Dahl. “I believe that simply factors to how energetic this photo voltaic cycle has been and the way a lot vitality the Solar is able to releasing attributable to all of the magnetic adjustments and issues happening this specific photo voltaic cycle.”
Right here’s a collection of photos we obtained from observers within the south-east. Submit your photos for publication in Astronomy Now by emailing them to: gallery2024@astronomynow.com
