Solar Storm Causes X-Ray Aurora
Explanation:
On April 7, the
SOHO spacecraft spotted
a Solar Storm ejecting a
cloud of energetic particles toward planet Earth.
The plasma cloud's center
missed Earth, but high energy particles swept up by
Earth's magnetosphere
still created a geomagnetic storm!
Residents of northerly lattitudes were treated to the spectacle of
brilliant aurora
as curtains of green and white light danced across the sky.
In this image from April 11,
the Polar Ionospheric X-ray Imaging Experiment
(PIXIE)
onboard NASA's orbiting POLAR spacecraft records the strongest
X-ray aurora seen in more than a year of operation.
The false color image overlaying a map of North America
reveals X-rays generated in the upper atmosphere
by showers of high energy electrons.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
