Boulder, Colorado – A rare celestial event unfolded in mid-May as the aurora borealis and australis, known as the northern and southern lights, dazzled viewers across the globe. Vibrant shades of red graced the night skies in Jamaica, Mexico, and India, while emerald green curtains danced across the horizon over much of the northern and central United States.
The spectacular light show was caused by a geomagnetic storm, triggered by high-energy particles and magnetism originating from a sunspot on the surface of the sun. This sunspot cluster, which had been obscured on the far side of the sun for weeks, is now rotating back towards Earth, potentially heralding more geomagnetic disturbances in the coming days.
Experts suggest that additional geomagnetic storms of varying intensities may occur over the next couple of weeks as the sunspot traverses the solar disk from left to right. While another extreme geomagnetic storm is unlikely in the near future, the possibility of moderate to severe storms remains if a solar eruption emerges from the active sunspot cluster.
This particular sunspot cluster, designated as AR3723, has now faced Earth for the third time. It previously directed its activity toward our planet in early May and has now reappeared at the end of the month into June, raising concerns about potential impacts on Earth’s magnetic field.
On Sunday, AR3723 released an M-class solar flare – the second-highest classification on the flare scale. This solar event temporarily disrupted high-frequency communications over the Atlantic due to radiation ionizing Earth’s upper atmosphere. Scientists anticipate that AR3723 may produce more magnetic disturbances in the days ahead as it continues to evolve.
Solar flares are powerful bursts of energy particles and electrons that travel through space at incredible speeds. Following these flares, shock waves of magnetism called coronal mass ejections (CMEs) may propagate through space, potentially interacting with Earth’s magnetic field and triggering displays of the northern and southern lights.
As AR3723 rotates into a better view for observation satellites, scientists at the Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder are closely monitoring its magnetic structure. By analyzing this data, researchers can generate forecasts regarding the likelihood of future solar flares, providing valuable insights into potential impacts on Earth’s communications systems.