The Sun periodically ejects huge bubbles of plasma from its surface that contain an intense magnetic field. These events are called coronal mass ejections, or CMEs. When two of these ejections collide, they can generate powerful geomagnetic storms that can lead to beautiful auroras but may disrupt satellites and GPS back on Earth. On May 10, 2024, people across the Northern Hemisphere got to witness the impact of these solar activities on Earth’s space weather. The northern lights, as seen here from Michigan in May 2024, are caused by geomagnetic storms in the atmosphere. Shirsh Lata Soni Two merging CMEs…
Author: Shirsh Lata Soni, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Michigan
Read More