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Earth could be hit by a series of mild geomagnetic storms on Monday and Tuesday (March 14 and 15) after a moderate solar flare blasted out of the sun’s atmosphere several days ago, according to government weather agencies in the U.S. and U.K. The storms aren’t likely to cause any harm on Earth, save … Read more
The Sun is continuing its rowdy behavior, with flares and coronal mass ejections almost every day since mid-January. That means the inevitable has happened: some of those eruptions have blasted in the general direction of Earth, which means we’re in for some solar storms. The Space Weather Prediction Center of the US National Oceanic … Read more
As storms become stronger, it might be possible to keep more trees standing if they are planted closer together Environment 11 March 2022 By Alex Wilkins A cedar forest in Kiso district, Nagano prefecture, Japan Sunphol Sorakul/Getty Images Trees that grow close together can survive powerful storms and prevent wind damage by supporting each other. … Read more
Dr. Michaela Musilova is the director of Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) program, which conducts analog missions to the moon and Mars for scientific research at a habitat on the volcano Mauna Loa. Currently, she is in command of the two-week Valoria 3 martian mission and contributed this report to Space.com’s Expert Voices: … Read more
On Feb. 4, 2022, SpaceX launched 49 satellites as part of Elon Musk‘s Starlink internet project, most of which burned up in the atmosphere days later. The cause of this more than US$50 million failure was a geomagnetic storm caused by the Sun. Geomagnetic storms occur when space weather hits and interacts with the … Read more
Computer modelling of cyclone Mekunu, which hit the coast of Oman in 2018, reveals that ocean currents may have focused waves from the storm into straight beams that hit the coast of India and Pakistan Physics 3 March 2022 By Bas den Hond Debris litters a beach after cyclone Mekunu hit Salalah, Oman, in May … Read more
Global warming might increase the number of tropical cyclones in other parts of the world but reduce them in the Atlantic due to weakening circulation Environment 3 March 2022 By Michael Le Page Satellite image of large hurricanes brewing in the Atlantic Ocean NASA/Joshua Stevens In parts of the world, tropical cyclones could become … Read more
Elon Musk’s SpaceX will lose 40 Starlink satellites to a geomagnetic storm as solar activity ramps up. But does this spell disaster for the future of satellites in space? On Tuesday (Feb. 8), SpaceX revealed that likely 40 of its 49 newest Starlink satellites that launched last Thursday (Feb. 3) were affected by a geomagnetic … Read more
Deep beneath the ice in Greenland and Antarctica, researchers have found signs of an enormous solar ‘tsunami‘ that once crashed against Earth’s atmosphere more than 9,000 years ago. This ancient superstorm was triggered by a wave of hot plasma and magnetism from the Sun, and it is significantly larger than anything we have recorded … Read more
A devastating mudslide ripped through Sierra Leone’s capital of Freetown in August 2017, burying homes and killing at least 1,100 people. Triggered by weeks of unusually heavy rain, it was one of the worst environmental disasters the region had experienced in years. More than four years later, scientists are concerned that it could happen again. … Read more