In September, due to the Earth’s tilt, geomagnetic activity can become stronger, creating a brilliant aurora season, according to Live Science.
Auroras occur when charged particles in the solar wind enter the Earth’s magnetic field and collide with oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the atmosphere, exciting the molecules, causing them to emit vibrant colored light.
Like on May 10 at 11pm (Hanoi time), when the first plasma and magnetic field emitted from the Sun occurred, social networks were flooded with images of aurora from Northern Europe and Oceania. AFP citing information from the Space Weather Prediction Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
With solar activity continuing to rise to record levels in September, the weeks around the autumnal equinox (September 22) could see stronger-than-usual geomagnetic storms. This could lead to a shortened aurora season, according to Live Science.
A 1973 paper suggested that auroras appear more regularly in March and September, due to temporary alignment of the Earth’s magnetic fields and solar winds.
The solar wind is a stream of charged particles from the Sun that suddenly increases in intensity following solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) – powerful bursts of radiation and solar material. Magnetic activity on the Sun has an 11-year cycle and is currently at its peak.
While the Earth’s magnetic field and the solar wind are not normally aligned, thanks to the Russell-McPherron effect, the Earth’s magnetic poles are tilted at the equinoxes to more easily receive charged particles. When the south-facing magnetic fields within the solar wind cancel out the Earth’s north-facing magnetic field, cracks open in the Earth’s magnetosphere, making it easier for the solar wind to flow along the magnetic field lines. As a result, areas of the Northern Hemisphere in September have a higher chance of seeing auroras.