Monday, April 24, 2017
Solar Winds today
This morning I had another of the spells of fatigue and wooziness that I reported in early April and which I (and others) connected with solar flares. So I checked once again on the website for solar activity and found the following. Again, I must wonder what is going on.
"SOLAR WIND ENGULFS EARTH: A solar wind storm is underway around Earth as our planet enters a high-speed stream of gas flowing from a large hole in the sun's atmosphere. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory photographed the source of the wind on April 23rd:
This is a coronal hole (CH)--a place in the sun's atmosphere where the magnetic field peels back and allows solar wind to escape. Solar wind flowing from this hole is moving faster than 700 km/s--a veritable gale. Moreover, the wind is threaded with "negative polarity" magnetic fields. Such fields do a good job connecting to Earth's magnetosphere and energizing geomagnetic storms.
NOAA forecasters estimate a 60% to 65% chance of polar geomagnetic storms on April 24th and 25th as Earth moves through this potent stream of solar wind. High-latitude sky watchers should remain alert for auroras."
