Between October 11 and 13, the Sun unleashed a torrent of coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Now, these powerful bursts of solar plasma and magnetic energy are on a collision course with Earth. Space weather forecasters expect them to arrive tonight and cause the northern lights—or Aurora Borealis—to stretch farther south than usual. NOAA’s Space Weather […]
Astronomers Detect Entirely New Type of Plasma Wave Above Jupiter’s North Pole
Since entering Jupiter’s orbit in 2016, NASA’s Juno spacecraft has been hard at work unveiling the many mysteries of our solar system’s largest planet. And its latest discovery may be one of the most intriguing yet: an entirely new type of plasma wave near Jupiter’s poles. In a paper published Wednesday in Physical Review Letters, […]
You Might Catch the Northern Lights This Weekend If You Live in One of These States
A geomagnetic storm is predicted to hit Earth tonight after the Sun hurled a massive solar flare in our direction. Aside from a potential radio blackout, the storm may also bring with it a dazzling display of aurora borealis over parts of North America. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecast that the Northern Lights […]