Solar filaments are long, thin regions of dense gas. Pictured is the arc of plasma and gas material that was flowing between two sunspots right before it erupted into space. This filament was about 200,000 miles across, nearly the distance from the moon to Earth, and it travelled 900 miles per second. Filaments are usually seen on the surface of the sun before they erupt, causing Coronal Mass Ejections which shoot electrons and ions, some of which reached Earth, affecting its magnetosphere and creating auroras 3 days after the eruption. The sun is expected to have a maximum amount of activity the next two years, causing more Coronal Mass Ejections and auroras. The peak is said to happen next year, which will be followed by intense solar storms and flares. This could possibly damage satellites and cause power blackouts, but cause no real damage to humans. Certainly, there will be plenty of beautiful auroras to view, in extreme latitudes, due to so much solar activity.
No comments:
Post a Comment