MYSTERIOUS shock wave CRACKS Earth’s magnetosphere

A shock wave barreled toward Earth that cracked its magnetosphere, the region that shields our planet from harmful radiation.

A MYSTERIOUS SHOCK WAVE CRACKED EARTH’S MAGNETOSPHERE

Earth’s magnetosphere was CRACKED by a mysterious shock wave.

According to reports, the shock wave barreled toward Earth that cracked its magnetosphere, the region that shields our planet from harmful radiation.

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ASTRONOMERS BELIEVE IT CAME FROM AN EJECTION OF ENERGETIC GAS

While the origin of the shockwave is unknown, astronomers believe it came from an ejection of energetic and highly magnetized, superheated gas released from the sun. This is also known as a coronal mass ejection (CME).

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According to Space Weather, the ejection may have been released from sunspot AR3165, which launched at least eight solar flares into space on December 14 that caused blackouts over the Atlantic Ocean.

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WHEN AND HOW DO SHOCK WAVES HAPPEN?

Shock waves occur when a fast-moving pulse of solar wind plows through the slow-moving solar wind and consists of compressed and heated gasses.
CMEs can eject billions of tons of corona material from the sun’s surface. The material consists of plasma and magnetic fields.
Such eruptions have the potential to trigger space weather that can interfere with satellites and power grids on Earth and can be harmful to unprotected astronauts.

WHERE IS EARTH’S MAGNETOSPHERE LOCATED?

Earth’s magnetosphere is located in its magnetic field, which extends thousands of miles into space and its magnetism affects everything from global communication to animal migration and weather patterns.

G1-CLASS GEOMAGNETIC STORMS ARE POSSIBLE

The current crack sets the stage for possible G1-class geomagnetic storms.

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WHAT IS A GEOMAGNETIC STORM?

A geomagnetic storm is a significant disturbance of Earth’s magnetosphere that occurs when there is a very efficient exchange of energy from the solar wind into the space environment surrounding Earth.