Research Center for Space Science Research (Pussainsa) EIGHT, Johan Muhammad revealed that Sun storm does not always have a negative impact on humans and life on Earth.
“The solar storm can disrupt human life if the solar storm is large enough and the direction is right for the earth,” Johan said on Instagram Live Pussainsa LAPAN, @pussainsa_lapan, Thursday (21/10).
“Because the sun is far from Earth, 150 million kilometers, so it’s not always a solar storm that has a negative impact on human life,” he continued.
Johan also explained that a solar storm is a phenomenon on the Sun in the form of an explosion, which is caused by the dynamics of the movement of plasma inside and outside the Sun, because the sun is large and the scale of the explosion is also large so that the impact can reach the Earth.
This increase in solar activity will have a significant impact on space weather, especially changes in plasma density in the near-Earth space environment.
Space weather conditions will also affect the satellites orbiting the earth, especially those in low orbits.
However, the impact of solar storms is not always negative. The effects of solar storms can be seen as a beautiful aurora at night for those living in the northern or southern latitudes of the Earth.
“Then also the most obvious phenomena can arise in the sky such as the aurora which also looks like there are lights dancing in the beautiful colorful sky,” said Johan.
Johan explained that solar storms carry high-energy particles. When the particle reaches Earth, it can penetrate Earth’s geomagnetic shield.
The Earth’s geomagnet has a gap at the top or bottom of the latitude or at the poles so that its path will enter the poles first.
“Energy particles that enter Earth then collide with molecules in the atmosphere, resulting in the glow of light that we see as aurora,” added Johan.
Aurora will appear colorful in the region near the North or South Pole. This phenomenon is known as the Aurora Borealis in the north and the Australian Aurora in the south.
Furthermore, Johan explained that solar storm is a general term. There are various phenomena that are included in the term solar storm, including flares, which are sudden explosions or increases in radiation from the Sun.
Then there is also a strong release of plasma from the Sun called coronal mass ejections (CME).
In addition, solar storms are certainly different from storms that occur on Earth. According to Johan, storms on Earth are phenomena that occur in the Earth’s atmosphere associated with climatic conditions such as heavy rain and strong winds.
“Then, the types are also different. If on Earth it is more of disturbances in the Earth’s atmosphere such as pressure differences. Meanwhile, solar storms are related to the release of energy in the sun’s atmosphere which is related to the magnetic field in the sun itself,” said Johan. (mrh/fjr)
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