Solar Superstorm Gannon crushed Earth's plasmasphere to a record low
13 hours ago
- #space-weather
- #plasmasphere
- #solar-storm
- A rare solar superstorm in May 2024, known as the Gannon storm, caused Earth's plasmasphere to shrink to a record low altitude.
- The plasmasphere, a protective layer of charged particles, was compressed from 44,000 km to just 9,600 km above Earth's surface.
- The Arase satellite provided the first continuous, direct data on the plasmasphere's collapse and slow recovery, which took over four days.
- A 'negative storm' in the ionosphere, caused by intense heating, slowed the plasmasphere's recovery by reducing the supply of necessary particles.
- The superstorm pushed auroras far beyond their usual polar regions, making them visible in mid-latitude areas like Japan, Mexico, and southern Europe.
- The event disrupted satellite operations, GPS accuracy, and radio communications, highlighting the need for better space weather predictions.