Hey, Space Placers!
ROCKS AND SOIL ELECTRIFIED BY THE SUPERSTORM: Across the USA on May 10th and 11th, sky watchers marveled at bright displays of aurora borealis during the biggest geomagnetic storm in decades. Little did they know, something was also happening underfoot.
Strong electrical currents were surging through rocks and soil. The biggest voltages along the US eastern seaboard and in the Midwest were as much as 10,000 times normal. A map (see above) from NOAA and the US Geological Survey shows some of the 'hot spots' during the early hours of May 11th.
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I was amazed to see that my state of Virginia was one of the biggest "hot spots"! I never had considered that rocks and soil could be electrified by solar storms, but it made sense once I thought about it. I will be digging into why Virginia was as "hot a spot" as it was. I also want to find out the affect on oceans and seas, if any.
From the Washington Post headline:
May’s northern lights were the space spectacle of a lifetime, scientists say
Space scientists are saying the solar storm was the most impressive in decades and, by some measures, even centuries.
I submitted my images and observations to Hisashi Hayakawa, a designated assistant professor of Nagoya University and NASA's Aurorasaurus.
Solar Maximum is approaching at some point soon so there may be more displays coming.
Sky Guy in the Mediterranean Sea
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