According to data from the National Space Weather Monitoring and Warning Center, from May 3 to May 8, Beijing time, the sun continued to experience strong bursts of activity. The bursts were mainly in the form of flares. Among them, a total of 6 large flares with intensity reaching level x occurred. There were 24 moderate flares with intensity reaching M level. This is the current 25th solar activity cycle and the most frequent x-level flares that have occurred on the sun in the past 20 years.
At 9:00 on May 11, the National Space Weather Monitoring and Warning Center issued a geomagnetic storm red warning: A geomagnetic storm will occur from 23:00 on May 10, 2024, Beijing time, with the maximum level reaching the level of a super large geomagnetic storm (kp=9). It is expected to occur in the next 24 hours, the magnetic storm process will continue, and subsequent geomagnetic storms may still occur.
Affected by geomagnetic storms, the ionosphere will be disturbed in most areas of our country, and shortwave communications and navigation positioning will be affected to varying degrees. ; the density of the upper atmosphere will increase significantly, which will cause low-orbit satellite orbit attenuation to intensify..
△Picture/Weibo@National Early Warning Release
What is a geomagnetic storm? What impact does it have on our lives?
As the most typical solar eruption, a coronal mass ejection can throw hundreds of millions of tons of solar material away from the sun's surface at a high speed of hundreds of kilometers per second. It is not only the kinetic energy of the huge mass and speed, but also the It also carries the sun's powerful magnetic field energy. Once it hits the earth, it will cause changes in the direction and size of the geomagnetic field, which is a geomagnetic storm.
On Earth, the most intuitive impact of geomagnetic storms is the aurora. When a geomagnetic storm occurs, charged particles in the geomagnetism will enter the earth's atmosphere along the magnetic field lines, causing collisions between atmospheric molecules and atoms to excite fluorescence, which is what we often call aurora.
According to the People's Daily, after the geomagnetic storm, photographer @jeff's starry sky journey captured aurora activity in Altay, Xinjiang in the early morning of May 11. The red, purple, and green auroras complement each other, making it look like a dream.
△In the early morning of May 11, affected by a geomagnetic storm, an aurora appeared over Altay, Xinjiang. Picture/Weibo @jeff's Starry Sky Journey
Netizen @口小ike in the UK personally experienced the aurora caused by this geomagnetic storm. She told reporters: "While everyone was reveling in the aurora, I was doing it in the room. I was shocked when I picked up my phone and saw 300+ messages. When I went out to see it, there was only a little afterglow left. What a pity. ”
△@一口小ike’s roommate took the aurora with his mobile phone. Picture/@口小ike
It is reported that this strong solar eruption is the most frequent X-class solar flare in the past 20 years. The accompanying aurora is also the one that can be seen in a wider range of aurora in China. You can try to observe it in areas north of 40 degrees north latitude in my country. It doesn’t matter if you missed the aurora in the early morning of the 11th. It will be visible from the night of the 11th to the early morning of the 12th. There is also a chance to catch a glimpse of the Aurora Borealis.
High-energy particle flow impacts the atmosphere + disturbs the magnetic field, affecting navigation and satellites. Due to the changes in the earth's magnetic field due to the impact of geomagnetic storms, the ground in high-latitude areas near the magnetic poles will further stimulate induced currents due to rapid changes in the magnetic field, which will have a certain impact on the local power grid. Geomagnetic navigation, satellite navigation and low-frequency radio wave navigation in high latitude areas will also be significantly interfered with.
In addition, high-energy particle flow and geomagnetic disturbance also affect the operation of electrical components and flight attitude of space stations and satellites. Even for some low-orbit spacecraft, geomagnetic disturbances will cause changes in atmospheric density and increase atmospheric resistance, causing the orbital altitude to decrease and affecting the life of satellites. In early 2022, Musk's "Starlink" was launched to an altitude of more than 200 kilometers. At that time, a small geomagnetic storm occurred on the earth, and the density of the orbital atmosphere increased. As a result, 38 satellites of the Starlink company failed to enter orbit and crashed in the atmosphere. .
These animals can get "lost." Many birds, insects and marine life rely on the Earth's magnetic field for migration and navigation. Strong geomagnetic activity such as geomagnetic storms may affect the migration and navigation abilities of animals, such as homing pigeons and sea turtles, which rely on the geomagnetic field to sense direction. When the magnetic field is disrupted, their travel and migration routes will change.
In addition, geomagnetic storms can also affect the earth's climate and may lead to climate change, such as affecting wind direction and wind speed, thus affecting global climate patterns. Such long-term changes could have far-reaching consequences for the planet's ecological environment, such as climate change and biodiversity.
affects the power system. magnetic field disturbance will produce current, which is called induced current. Induced currents can form relatively large currents in long-distance power transmission networks, which may affect transformers. For example, during a geomagnetic storm in 1989, a transformer in Quebec, Canada, was affected by induced currents and burned down. However, our country is a country in middle and low latitudes, and the impact of geomagnetic storms is not as great as that of North America. Moreover, in recent decades, our country's power sector has also taken many protective measures against geomagnetic storms. Judging from the current observed results, geomagnetic storms have little impact on our power transmission safety.
"Predicting" geomagnetic storms, look at the "Xihe"
Due to the various effects of geomagnetic storms, it is particularly important to predict geomagnetic storms and observe solar activity. In 2021, my country launched its first solar detection test satellite, "Xihe", which can be used to observe solar atmospheric activities and provide early warning of geomagnetic storms so that preventive measures can be taken in a timely manner.
△Solar exploration science and technology experimental satellite "Xihe" Source: National Space Administration
"Xihe" is equipped with a solar hɑ imaging spectrometer, which can detect hɑ (hydrogen alpha) spectral lines and scan and take pictures of the sun. The hɑ spectral line is the spectral line with the strongest response to solar activity in the lower atmosphere. It can intuitively reflect the characteristics of the source region of solar explosions and help scientists correctly understand the physical mechanism of solar explosions. Has the sun lost its temper? "Xihe" is staring at it ~
Do you blame it for your physical discomfort? Experts explain the impact of geomagnetic storms on human health
html On the morning of May 11, the topic #geomagnetic storm red warning rushed to the second place in the hot search. Under the hot search topic, many netizens joked that their headaches, inability to sleep, and physical discomfort were all caused by geomagnetic storms.
△图/微博
Is this really the case? The answers given by experts in relevant fields may “disappoint” everyone.
Rong Zhaojin, a part-time expert at Zhejiang Moganshan Institute of Geomagnetic Science and a researcher at the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that geomagnetic storms will not have a significant impact on human health. "The earth's magnetic field is a protective layer. With the earth's magnetic field, solar activity will not directly act on the earth's surface. A lot of energy and matter are blocked by the magnetic field." Rong Zhaojin made an analogy. The earth's magnetic field is like the immune system. Magnetic storms are an "immune response" to solar material.
Regarding pacemakers implanted in patients with cardiovascular diseases, Yan Laixing, deputy chief physician of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Shulan (Hangzhou) Hospital, said that there are currently no studies showing that geomagnetic storms will affect the normal use of pacemakers. "Modern pacemakers have a certain degree of anti-interference. For example, the pacemaker's titanium alloy shell, bipolar wires, and feedthrough filters all have advanced electromagnetic shielding technology, which can help reduce electromagnetic sensitivity."
"In addition , Take nuclear magnetic resonance as an example, magnetic resonance has its own shielding equipment to prevent electromagnetic interference," said Chu Yonghua, director of the Clinical Medical Engineering Department of the Second Hospital of Zhejiang University. The reporter learned from the radiology departments of many hospitals in Hangzhou that all medical examinations are currently being carried out as usual, and there have never been problems with geomagnetic storms affecting medical equipment causing malfunctions or data errors.
Wang Jinsong, director of the National Space Weather Monitoring and Warning Center, said that we are currently at the peak of solar activity, and the peak is expected to occur from 2024 to 2025. During this period, space weather events such as solar flares and geomagnetic storms may occur frequently. The public should treat these phenomena scientifically, but the impact on people's health and daily life is minimal, and the public does not need to worry.
Xiaoxiang Morning News reporter Peng Haoze
