Weeks of major solar events have sparked concerns about the possibility of more geomagnetic storms, prompting meteorologists at the US Weather Service to activate a Geomagnetic Storm Observatory.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) warned Saturday that after a recent geomagnetic storm created a spectacular aurora borealis in several areas of the Northern Hemisphere, additional geomagnetic storms are expected.
Geomagnetic storms are classified on a scale of G1 (minor) to G5 (extreme) and are typically caused by coronal mass ejections ( CMEs ), which are a huge burst of plasma from the sun’s outer atmosphere, SWPC executive Bryan Brasher told Newsweek.
“A massive coronal hole, the dark spot at the center of the sun, is likely to trigger a G2 (Moderate) geomagnetic storm on December 4 and a G1 (Minor) storm on December 5,” according to the Space Weather Prediction Center.
Although scientists are reassured just by the sight of it, this particular hole causes horror:
“While there are still many open questions about the science of the sun, the effects of space weather, particularly on the power grid and satellites, are generally understood and mitigation measures can be taken. The general public need not worry about space weather.’
The eye of Sauron
In theory, these colossal holes are like breaks in the magnetic field of the star, from where plasma begins to fly out and thereby slightly cools the stellar atmosphere.
As a result, when a cloud of such plasma approaches the Earth, we begin to experience magnetic storms, auroras and all that. However, in reality there is something else to be afraid of:
The above data from astronomical services show the position of this coronal hole on September 15th, October 10th, November 5th and December 1st. These dates are separated by 25 days, the cycle of the Sun’s revolution at the equator.
The second row is our most important earthquakes of the fall, which began in Morocco on September 8th and ended with the M7.7 in the Philippines. Not all earthquakes are included in the picture. For example, Afghanistan is not shown for October 15th; there was no M7.0 there, but there were more casualties occurred by a hypothetical M8.0 quake struck somewhere in the seas near Guinea.
The next revolution of the Sun will come somewhere on December 25th, or even December 21st, the end of the Mayan calendar. The Eye of Sauron will turn to Earth again.
Or maybe the eye of Sauron will dissolve. But even if it does resolve, we will note that such hefty coronal holes, and even at the equator, are characteristic of solar minimum.
As astronomers write, the sun is confidently reaching its maximum and ahead of schedule. But since there is a huge hole at the equator, this is actually not a maximum, but a minimum, the maximum of which could be a micronova.
