Lately we have seen a lot of headlines on some websites and in the media, heralding a great thing coming soon. Northern lights sequence in Spain. We must assume that this will be a very exceptional event, which has not happened in our country since 2004. Most media outlets do not name dates, while others will venture to indicate some time. from 20 to 29 October. It would be ideal if this happened, and why not? Perhaps this will happen. But the reality is that it is impossible to predict a solar storm in advance.
For the northern lights to appear, it is necessary to produce solar storm. And the fact is that even the most complex systems that are not yet fully implemented, they cannot be predicted, at least until they are fully implemented. about 4 days ago. It’s logical to know when they are likely. After all, solar activity continues 11 year cyclesin which moments of greater or lesser activity periodically arise. Solar storms usually coincide with peaks of activity. So we know that this will be likely now. In fact, last year we had a major solar storm which created the Northern Lights in Spain.
It appears that the aurora was not as big as the one we will see this month, as it is only compared to others that occurred in 2004. As it were, This is all speculation. It is impossible to know whether we will see these beautiful colorful phenomena in the skies of Spain.
Solar Activity Concepts You Should Know
The Sun is a star made primarily of hydrogen. About three quarters of its composition consists of this element. Otherwise we can find other elements such as oxygen, carbon, neon or iron. All of them together are in a plasma state. That is, in a state of matter similar to a gas in which the particles are charged.
In turn, all these charged particles are located in constant motion around the sunsometimes with more intensity, and sometimes with less. These streams of motion are known as solar activity and are ongoing. cycle is about 11 years in which you ascend until you reach the top and descend again to the starting point. This is not an exact 11 years, but an approximate figure, so it is impossible to know the peaks exactly. Sometimes we see that great activity has been achieved and it seems that the peak has already arrived, but then we see that we can still go further.
When solar activity is very high, flashes and when it is even greater, coronal mass ejections. These are usually phenomena that go hand in hand, although the former are more common than the latter. A solar flare or flare occurs when there is a sudden release of energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation. If it is very intense, a coronal mass ejection may occur, which will also release a large cloud of plasma. Additionally, all those particles that are suddenly ejected from the Sun can spread throughout the entire solar system due to something known as solar wind.
This entire set of energetic phenomena associated with the Sun constitutes what is known as solar storm. All of this is important to know, as it has a lot to do with the appearance of the northern lights in Spain or, more commonly, further north.
How are the northern lights formed in Spain?
In general, the northern lights are formed when charged particles emitted by the Sun reach the Earth and interact with the Earth. gases from our atmosphere. The excitation of the atoms that make up these gases leads to the release radiation at different wavelengthsdepending on the element. For example, when oxygen is excited, green color predominates, while in the case of nitrogen, violet emission is more common.
Auroras usually occur near the poles. In the north they are known as the northern lights, and in the south as the southern aurora. This is because right at the poles Earth’s magnetic field It is weaker, so it is easier for solar storm particles to pass through it and reach the atmosphere. However, if the solar storm is very intense, auroras may appear further from the poles. Thus, the northern lights in Spain arise as a result of very strong solar storms.
Will there be a cannibalistic solar storm?
During rush hours the so-called cannibal, solar storm. It’s called that because it’s made coronal mass ejection followed by anotherin such a way that they merge. The second absorbs the first, and together they arrive on Earth, turning into a torpedo of particles ready to cross our magnetic field.
Although it has a name that sounds almost unusual, such solar storms are not that rare. In fact, one of them was on September 1st. When they occur, it is possible that the northern lights will appear in Spain or in general in points far from the north pole. Also the aurora at points far from the south pole.
Given that we are experiencing a time of high solar activity, it is possible that a cannibalistic solar storm could occur and therefore we will see the northern lights in Spain. But this is impossible to know for sure, much less know. If its magnitude is equal to the great northern lights of 2004. Those 2024 years were already the most beautiful. Those of us who didn’t have the opportunity to see them back then would have settled for something like this.
In any case, if this does not happen, then it is completely predictable that three green comets will fly across the night sky this month. It’s also a great display of color. Not everything will be northern lights.
Source: Hiper Textual
