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Why Geomagnetic Storms Are Increasing: The Science Behind Solar Activity
Unraveling the Absolutely Wild Science of the Sun and Auroras
“Sorry, it’s going to be a bit before your card goes through,” said a young, stressed-out shopkeep atop Mount Hood, Oregon in May, “The aurora is killing our internet today.” The customer ahead of me tapped on the counter impatiently as the card reader slowly attempted to connect. “Any chance you have cash on you?”
“Nope.” said the customer, a young, blonde woman dressed in REI brand hiking gear head to toe. Behind her, I switched my weight from one hip to the other. It was going to be a while for the poor folks behind us. I didn’t have cash either.
“Bummer,” replied the shopkeeper, “This solar storm is messing up everything on the mountaintop. Sorry about that.”
As we in line did our best to wait patiently, we struck up a conversation about that geomagnetic storm, with folks sharing their experience of the gorgeous sky the night before and relaying suggestions of the best spots to look at without light pollution. We all concluded that this once-in-a-lifetime event for our latitude was worth the wait in line and the slow credit card systems.
But, then, this once-in-a-lifetime event happened again in July — and again a couple ofweeks back in mid-August. Confused by the contradiction, I wondered, “Why on Earth does this keep happening?”. To discover an answer to the mystery, I spent way too long reading about (and then, later, nerding out about) the lovely G-type yellow dwarf at the center of our system (the sun!). Here’s what I discovered.
Understanding Geomagnetic Storms
Solar Weather (The Sun is a Deadly Laser)
To understand what’s going on with our planet, we must take a step back and explore how our local star works: Good Ol’ Sol (Our sun!). The sun isn’t just this big, constant fire in space, it’s a dynamic, massive object that undergoes a mind-boggling amount of chemical reactions each second (Seriously, 9.3 x 10³⁷ nuclear reactions each second. The amount is so large that it’s imperceivable.). The energy that is released from these reactions, which primarily turn hydrogen…
