A powerful solar storm continued its manifestations on Earth yesterday, the day after the most energetic events in two decades unleashed spectacular polar auroras visible from Great Britain to Argentina, including Mexico, threatening outages in satellite communications and in electrical networks.
The first of several ejections of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun began on Friday, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Michigan, US
NOAA classified the geomagnetic storm as “extreme,” as it is the most powerful since October 2003, when several plasma explosions from the solar corona caused blackouts in Sweden and damage to energy infrastructure in South Africa.
Yesterday, social networks were filled with photos of auroras captured in northern Europe and in countries in the southern hemisphere such as Chile, Argentina, Australia or New Zealand and the phenomenon is expected to continue today.
We just woke up the kids to see the Northern Lights in the backyard! It is visible to the naked eye,” said Iain Mansfield, a political adviser based in Hertford, United Kingdom.
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It was amazing, the sky was painted in all colors. (…) Having the opportunity to see that makes you thank the universe,” said Sabrina Chamorro, 40 years old and employed in a clothing store in Ushuaia, in the extreme south of Argentina.
STAFFORDSHIRE, RU
In Sonora, Mexico, the phenomenon was not visible to the naked eye, except in those high places in the mountains or deep in the desert, where light pollution was zero; Any hint of artificial light ruined the show, but with the ISO of a camera above 800 and the shutter in bulb mode, the photograph captured colors where a reddish color stood out.
