What is a magnetic storm?
A magnetic storm is a period of rapid magnetic field variation. The causes of magnetic storms are explained, in general terms, in the Introduction to Geomagnetism page given on this website. Briefly, then, magnetic storms have two basic causes. First of all, let us be reminded that the Sun is always emitting a wind of charged particles that flows outward into space away from the Sun itself. Occasionally the Sun emits a strong surge of solar wind, something called a coronal mass ejection. When this gust of solar wind impacts upon the outer part of the Earths magnetic field, the magnetosphere, the field is disturbed and it undergoes a complex oscillation. This causes the generation of associated electric currents in the near-Earth space environment, which, in turn, generate additional magnetic-field variations — all of which constitute a ‘magnetic storm’. The second cause of magnetic storms is the occasional direct linkage of the Suns magnetic field with that of the Earths. This direct
A magnetic storm is a period of rapid magnetic field variation. The causes of magnetic storms are explained, in general terms, in the Introduction to Geomagnetism page given on this website. Briefly, then, magnetic storms have two basic causes. First of all, let us be reminded that the Sun is always emitting a wind of charged particles that flows outward into space away from the Sun itself. Occasionally the Sun emits a strong surge of solar wind, something called a coronal mass ejection. When this gust of solar wind impacts upon the outer part of the Earth’s magnetic field, the magnetosphere, the field is disturbed and it undergoes a complex oscillation. This causes the generation of associated electric currents in the near-Earth space environment, which, in turn, generate additional magnetic-field variations — all of which constitute a ‘magnetic storm’. The second cause of magnetic storms is the occasional direct linkage of the Sun’s magnetic field with that of the Earth’s. This dire
A magnetic storm, also known as a geomagnetic storm, is a disturbance in the Earth’s magnetic field caused by coronal mass ejections (CMEs) or solar flares from the Sun. A magnetic storm usually begins between 24 and 36 hours after the solar event, when a shock wave of solar wind reaches the Earth’s ionosphere. The magnetic storm then typically lasts 24 to 48 hours, though some may last as long as days. The effects of a magnetic storm include disruption of communications and navigation systems, intense auroras, damage to satellites, and during the most extreme storms, induced currents in power lines and pipelines that result in power outages and corrosion. Serious magnetic storms occur once every decade or so, with the most severe occurring once every century. They occur when energetic particles from a solar storm collide with the ionosphere and magnetosphere, creating a cascade of energetic particles and disturbing the atmosphere’s magnetic and electric currents. There have been two s
Shortly after the launch of the first satellites, mankind discovered the solar wind – a continuous flow of hot plasma from the solar corona. At a distance of 10-12 Earth’s radii in the direction of the Sun, where the energy of the solar wind equals that of the Earth’s magnetic field, solar wind particles change their direction, and flow around the Earth, forming a comet-like plasma vacuum — the magnetosphere. The size of its sophisticated but fairly stable structure depends on solar wind pressure, and hence, on solar activity. The tail of the magnetosphere, which stretches for hundreds of thousands of kilometers in the direction opposite to the Sun, accumulates magnetic energy. From time to time, it is released in explosions, which heat up plasma, and create powerful electric currents (millions of amperes). When such bursts follow one another, the magnetosphere is filled to capacity with hot plasma, while its electric currents embrace the entire near-Earth space. These phenomena are r
