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Indian-American astronaut Anil Menon witnesses aurora from ISS
WION··4 Aug
A coronal mass ejection struck Earth's magnetosphere on August 2, triggering a G2 geomagnetic storm and auroras over Scotland, Scandinavia and nearby regions. Astronaut Jessica Meir filmed the aurora from the International Space Station, noting it was extra special since Indian-American astronaut Anil Menon witnessed the phenomenon for the first time during his ongoing mission.
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What It Means For You
- Skywatchers in high-latitude cities like Edinburgh, Toronto and Seattle may get a rare chance to see auroras in the coming days.
- Frequent flyers and satellite-dependent services could see minor radio or navigation disruptions during the ongoing period of solar activity.
- Anyone curious about space weather can track sunspot regions AR4498 and AR4499, which forecasters say are driving the current activity.
What's Happening
- A coronal mass ejection struck Earth's magnetosphere on August 2, triggering a G2 geomagnetic storm and auroras across high-latitude regions.
- Astronaut Jessica Meir filmed the aurora from the International Space Station, calling it special since Anil Menon saw one for the first time.
- NOAA recorded mostly C-class solar flares from sunspot regions AR4492 and AR4498, with forecasters tracking continued activity through August 5.
Where This Solar Cycle Could Push Auroras Next
- The July 27 and July 30 solar eruptions are believed to have combined to produce the geomagnetic storm observed on August 2.
- Forecasters put the chance of moderate M-class flares at 20 percent through August 5, with X-class flares considered unlikely.
- Anil Menon, an Indian-American NASA astronaut, launched on a roughly eight-month International Space Station mission in July.
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