美国西弗吉尼亚州的北极光

美国西弗吉尼亚州的北极光

Northern Lights, West Virginia
Image Credit & Copyright: Jonathan Eggleston

Explanation: A gravel country lane gently winds through this colorful rural night skyscape. Captured from Monroe County in southern West Virginia on the evening of October 10, the starry sky above is a familiar sight. Shimmering curtains of aurora borealis or northern lights definitely do not make regular appearances here, though. Surprisingly vivid auroral displays were present on that night at very low latitudes around the globe, far from their usual northern and southern high latitude realms. The extensive auroral activity was evidence of a severe geomagnetic storm triggered by the impact of a coronal mass ejection (CME), an immense magnetized cloud of energetic plasma. The CME was launched toward Earth from the active Sun following a powerful X-class solar flare.

Growing Gallery: Global aurora during October 10/11, 2024
Tomorrow’s picture: aurora in motion

美国西弗吉尼亚州的北极光
影像提供与版权: Jonathan Eggleston

说明: 一条乡间碎石小路蜿蜒穿过这片色彩缤纷的乡村夜景。在这幅10月10日摄于西弗吉尼亚州南部门罗县的影像里，上方星空有人们熟悉的景观。然而，闪烁的北极光帘幕，却非此地常见的景象。在那晚，极光出现在全球各地的低纬度地区，远离它们通常在极区附近的高纬度家园。这次大范围的极光活动，是因为地球受到日冕物质抛射（CME；极大团的磁化高能等离子体云）的冲击，触发了强烈的地磁风暴。而活跃期的太阳，则是在一次强烈的X级日闪/耀斑后，爆发此一日冕物质抛射。

不断增加的画廊: 2024年10月10/11日的全球极光
明日的图片: aurora in motion