Dazzling auroras are just a warm-up as more solar storms are likely, scientists say
- ️Witze, Alexandra
- ️Mon May 13 2024
- NEWS EXPLAINER
- 13 May 2024
Nature talks to physicists about what to expect in the next few months and beyond as the Sun hits its ‘maximum’.
- Alexandra Witze
People in Whitley Bay, UK, on 10 May snap photos of the aurora borealis, which became visible at lower latitudes than usual owing to a massive solar storm. Credit: Ian Forsyth/Getty
Stunning photographs of the northern and southern lights, seen at much lower latitudes than usual, saturated social media on Friday and Saturday. For space-weather scientists, the auroras, created by a raging solar storm, were long-expected but dramatic evidence that the Sun is nearing the peak of its 11-year cycle of activity.
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Nature 629, 736-737 (2024)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-01432-7
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