This year's solar maximum... Is the Earth okay? [Now in space]

NASA's Parker Solar Probe. [Photo = AP/Yonhap News]

What happens when the sun affects the magnetosphere (geomagnetism) of the Earth? Extreme changes in the Earth's magnetosphere, ionosphere, and upper atmosphere caused by the sun's geomagnetic storm (solar storm) have a serious impact on cutting-edge devices. It causes



enormous social and economic damage to humanity, such as damage to satellites, satellite malfunctions and orbital changes, disruption of satellite or terrestrial wireless communications, increased GPS errors, and damage to terrestrial power grids. It also poses a significant risk factor to human space activities, affecting the safety of flight attendants and passengers of airplanes operating polar routes and astronauts.



It is important to accurately understand and learn about space weather in advance. It is necessary to observe and monitor solar activity and changes in space weather in space, understand them, predict them, and prepare for them. This



year is the year corresponding to the solar maximum in the solar activity cycle that repeats every 11 years. The sun's magnetic field becomes stronger around the maximum and sunspot activity on the sun's surface becomes more active. The Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute's Solar and Space Environment Group announced the results of its analysis of the solar geomagnetic storm phenomenon that occurred last year.



A geomagnetic storm is a phenomenon in which a strong solar storm originating on the sun reaches the Earth and disrupts the Earth's magnetic field. Geomagnetic storms are graded from G1 (weak) to G5 (severe) by the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the United States.



Sunspot eruptions periodically repeat minimum (left) and maximum. [Photo = NASA]



In May of last year, the strongest G5-class geomagnetic storm in 21 years occurred. On January 1 of this year, a G4-class geomagnetic storm occurred.



The Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute observed the G5-class geomagnetic storm that occurred from May 10 to 12 of last year using the latest domestic and foreign satellites and ground observation systems, and comprehensively analyzed the cause and physical mechanism.



The geomagnetic storm was confirmed to be caused by X-class flares and multiple coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from the complex magnetic field configuration of solar active regions 13664 and 13668. The intensity of solar flares is divided into A, B, C, M, and X classes, with X being the strongest.



The X2.2-class flare that occurred on May 9 last year caused a major CME, which combined with the previous CME to produce a powerful solar wind that reached Earth's orbit. The Earth's magnetosphere was strongly compressed, and a strong magnetic reconnection occurred between the interplanetary magnetic field and the Earth's magnetic field, which was directed southward.



This increased the energy inflow to the Earth's high-latitude upper atmosphere, heating the Earth's thermosphere and causing changes in the electron density of the ionosphere. The research team confirmed the aurora through the all-sky camera operated by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute at the Jang Bogo Antarctic Station and the Bohyeonsan Astronomical Observatory in Yeongcheon. They also confirmed changes in the inflow of cosmic radiation through the neutron monitor installed on Gamaksan Mountain in Geochang.



The brightness image of the photosphere (left) and the magnetic field distribution obtained by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) onboard NASA's SDO satellite. It shows the evolution of solar active regions 13664 and 13668 from a relatively quiet stage to an active stage generating flares from May 4 to 9 last year. [Photo = KASI]





Kwak Young-sil, a principal researcher at KASI, said, "By analyzing the G5-class geomagnetic storm from various angles, we were able to better understand the interaction between the sun and the Earth's magnetosphere, as well as its global influence and mechanism." "This will also help us understand changes in space weather this year, the peak of solar activity, and will serve as good basic data for preparing future countermeasures."



KASI will hold a solar space environment workshop and winter school in cooperation with the Korean Space Science Society and the Korean Astronomical Society. From January 13 to 15, around 100 domestic space weather researchers will gather at KASI's headquarters to present the latest trends.





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