What did you do this weekend? Watch a movie, perhaps? We would ask the sun what it did over the weekend, but we already know: it had a bit of a solar storm party, and it’s the strongest solar storm since 2005.
Now, the Earth is being bombarded with high-energy particles that are hitting our atmosphere. But don’t worry, they won’t harm us. They’re only a bugger for disrupting satellites and astronauts. However, they could interfere with smartphone and other techy activity, and it won’t wear off likely until tomorrow.
But particles and such aside, the result of a solar storm is also a beautiful display of the Northern Lights, which are visible to those who live up north.
But what is a solar storm? A solar storm is what happens when radiation from the sun is released. When those particles come to Earth, they collide with our planets magnetic fields at the poles, resulting in a natural light show that no firework could top.
FUN FACT:
A solar storm in 1972 once knocked out long-distance telephone service in Illinois, USA. We’re sure the state has since recovered.
Watch a loop of the solar storm below: