The northern lights appeared over Poland again this week. A G4 magnetic storm was forecast for the night from Thursday to Friday, which made it possible to observe this unusual phenomenon from many places in the country. We received the photos on Kontakt24.
We received photos on Kontakt24 on Thursday evening aurora borealis from various places in Poland.
The northern lights lit up the sky over Poland. Your relationships
The phenomenon could be observed in the town of Rakowo in the province. West Pomeranian Voivodeship and the town of Kolembrody in the province Lublin Province.
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The aurora borealis also appeared in Podlasie, Lower Silesia and the Lubusz region.
“Very strong geomagnetic storm”
Where does this phenomenon in the evening sky come from? On Thursday night, the Kp index is expected to be 8+ on a scale from 0 to 9. It is a measure of the disturbance of the Earth's magnetic field and increases with the appearance of the solar wind and material ejected from the surface of the Sun towards our planet. NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) predicts that there will be magnetic storm with a strength of G4, i.e. very strong (on a five-point scale).
– This is a very strong geomagnetic storm, and auroras are associated with such storms – said Helena Ciechowska, who works in the Heliogeophysical Forecasts Center at the Space Research Center of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
The storm is caused by solar flares – violent explosions of energy – recorded over the last few days.
– In recent days, we have observed as many as four X-class flares. The main cause was one longer X1.8-class flare, associated with a CME (coronal mass ejection). coronal mass ejection). It occurred in an active region on the Sun and was turned towards us, said Helena Ciechowska. As she noted, the probability of a geomagnetic storm is 50 percent, so it is quite high.
Another chance
Karol Wójcicki, a popularizer of astronomy, also announced the possibility of seeing the aurora tonight on Thursday on his social media.
“For tonight, NOAA and NASA unanimously announce the impact of a coronal mass ejection from a long X1.8 class flare. A G4 magnetic storm is forecast, which may enable trouble-free observations of the aurora from Poland. Again!” – wrote the author of the blog “With your head in the stars”.
What about the weather?
According to the forecast, the night from Thursday to Friday will be cloudy with showers. Showers will move from the west into the country. In the east and southeast, rainfall is expected to be continuous.
Aurora borealis – what is it and how is it formed?
The aurora borealis is a light phenomenon that occurs mainly near the North and South Poles. The scientific name of the aurora borealis is aurora borealis (within the North Pole) i aurora australis (near the South Pole). It comes from the name of the Roman goddess of the dawn, Aurora.
The aurora is created when energized gas particles sent by the Sun hit the Earth's upper atmosphere at high speeds (up to 72 million kilometers per hour). The planet is protected from “attack” by its magnetic field. It redirects particles towards the north and south poles, and the particles interact with gases in our atmosphere.
Another light show this week
This is the second aurora borealis to appear in Poland in recent days. On the night from Monday to Tuesday, residents of many regions of the country could admire it “one of this year's strongest auroras”. This is what it looked like:
Karol Wójcicki – “With your head in the stars”, Kontakt24, PAP
Main photo source: Agnieszka/Kontakt24