This solar storm allowed for the observation of auroras at latitudes as low as Madrid and even the Caribbean Sea.
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“Near solar minimum when solar activity like CMEs is less frequent these fast streams are actually the most common cause of geomagnetic storms that create auroras”, affirmed Mays.
Particles coming Earth’s way that collide with the atmosphere lead to geomagnetic storms, knocking out radios and satellites while triggering handsome aurora borealis shows that are famous in Arctic climates when these coronal ejections happen.
Ever since, geomagnetic storms caused by the Sun pose a serious threat to a society that is increasingly dependent on technology, in addition to directly posing the serious danger to power and communication networks.
According to Univ. of Alcalá researchers, the Halloween storm was similar to the Carrington storm of 1859, the largest and most powerful solar storm recorded. Named after England astronomer Richard Carrington, who observed the responsible white-light solar flare, the storm disrupted telegraph systems worldwide, according to NASA.
Currently, several indices help scientists observe and predict the solar storm phenomenon. One index is the Dst (Disturbance storm time), which is obtained every hour by averaging data from observatories in South Africa, Japan, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.
The event was recorded at the Tihany Magnetic Observatory in Hungary. It is being considered that earth may have to face a few level of the solar wind for a few time more.
While coronal holes have a small effect for humans – save for paving the way for enthralling aurora to look at – the ensuing solar storms can have an adverse effect on animals that employ magnetic fields for traveling. Further, the same observatory had recorded a solar storm identical to the largest storm ever recorded. These scientists failed to see that the combination of these two would result in the disappearance of the true magnetic disturbance.
The researchers suggest developing local indices, which can be useful to regional companies affected by solar storms, such as electric companies.
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Cid added that a similar index may be applied in neighboring countries such as France, Italy and Portugal and that adjusted indices could even be developed for individual regions worldwide.
