On May 10, 2024, the strongest solar storm for 20 years triggered Aurora on Earth, which can be seen south in Florida. also I created two new radiation bands Around the earth, researchers report in February JGR Space Physics.
The earth is surrounded by two donut -shaped particle bands called Van Allen Belts, where the sun’s energy proton and electron are trapped in the planet’s magnetic field. This permanent belt is an internal belt between about 6,000 to 12,000 kilometers on the surface of the earth, divided into the outside between 25,000 and 45,000 kilometers.
Between the bands, there is an area called slot area. The area is generally empty, but in 2012, the third temporary belt was formed for about four weeks and is caused by the solar storm.
The band of 2024 was formed in the same area, but it continued surprisingly.
Xinlin Li, a space scientist of the University of Colorado, said, “This has stayed for several months until another small storm disturbs them.
A band made of electronics last lasted for about three months. LI said that the other, mainly consisting of protons, can last for nearly a year.
LI and colleagues started a small satellite in April 2023 and investigated how the internal radiation belts were formed and acted. The satellite was suddenly quiet in April 2024 after working well for a year.
Li said, “We still can’t identify the cause exactly. “I just fell asleep.”
Li was confused when a solar storm occurred a month later. “I am, ‘Ah, why?’ ‘I thought. “People were happy to meet Aurora in Boulder and I didn’t care.” He wanted the satellite to be there to capture it.
But suddenly blocked, the satellite was rebuilt in June. The new belt was clearly present. Li said, “It was very clear that there was something very different.
Long -term radiation belts can be dangerous to satellite and astronauts. Many satellites, tied to intellectual orbit, can first be exposed to more loaded particles than those designed to spend time in the slot zone. LI said that engineers should explain the possibility of additional radiation belts in the future, Li said.
