Massive flares from the Sun lit-up several regions across the world just in time for Halloween, and many areas saw a northern lights-like display in the sky, adding to the macabre vibe of the spooky event. According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the big star was struck by a geomagnetic storm. “Brighter than a shimmering ghost, faster than the flick of a black cat’s tail, the Sun cast a spell in our direction, just in time for Halloween,” the US agency uploaded a video showcasing the Sun’s spectacular eruptions and colour during the geomagnetic storm. A G3 geomagnetic storm collided with the Sun, causing an aurora effect in the lower atmosphere, which is highly unusual. Northern lights, also known as auroras, are typically visible around the North Pole, and as a result, many people were taken aback by the phenomenon.

In the last week of October, NASA released the video footage of the G3 geomagnetic storm hitting the Sun, which shows a succession of tiny flares and petal-like eruptions of solar material, most likely driving the northern lights away from the poles and into lower altitude skies. The Sun’s massive flare, which was categorised as an X1 Class flare, landed on Earth 48 hours later. This was the second X-class outburst of the current solar cycle, which began in December 2019. According to NASA, a new solar cycle begins approximately after every 11 years. “Harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth’s atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground, however, when intense enough, they can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel,” NASA stated in a blog post. 

Watch the video here:

NASA’s heliophysics missions maintain a steady eye on Sun and space

An eruption of solar material, known as a coronal mass ejection, and an invisible swarm of solar energetic particles both drove the Sun out of this active zone. According to the agency’s blog post, these are high-energy charged particles propelled by solar outbursts. It should be mentioned here that NASA’s heliophysics missions maintain a steady eye on the Sun and space to help scientists understand what causes such eruptions on the Sun and how this activity affects space, even near Earth, where astronauts and satellites may be impacted.

(Image: Twitter/ NASA Sun & Space)