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Sun news: Mid- to high-latitude auroras
Auroras lit up the skies at mid to high latitudes around the world this weekend. People in the northernmost U.S., Canada, Northern Europe, and southernmost New Zealand and Australia heard the sun news and caught the expected show. The glorious auroral display stemmed from an Earth-directed coronal mass ejection (CME), which blasted away from the large sunspot region AR 2960 on March 10, 2022. Moving at 1.5 million miles per hour (2.4 million km/hr), the cloud of solar particles and magnetic fields reached Earth around 12 UTC on March 13, as predicted by NASA and NOAA models.
The CME began rattling Earth’s magnetic field around that time, creating a geomagnetic storm up to a G2. This is considered a moderate storm on the NOAA scale.
OMG did she dance
?? mind blow ! Right now near Kiruna, Sweden!! @TamithaSkov @chunder10 @halocme @StormHour @chrisoutofspace @VincentVoyage @cogie_s @dartanner @erikapal pic.twitter.com/uPS3Y7KBn7
— Night Lights (@NightLights_AM) March 13, 2022
I love this spot!!! OMG did she dance! #NorthernLights @BBCHighlands @BBCScotWeather @VisitScotland @chunder10 @AngelBrise1 @NightLights_AM @TamithaSkov @the4ts @gillybee66 @Vincent_Ledvina @xRMMike pic.twitter.com/4Sq8Y1ALR5
— Lisa Pattenden Lady of the Isle ? ??????? (@London_Lady) March 14, 2022
My first Overhead aurora In northern Scotland this evening. What a showing eventually in Portskerra, sutherland @cogie_s @chunder10 @NightLights_AM @TamithaSkov @BBCScotWeather pic.twitter.com/ZcLhjU2u8c
— Andy Cole (@mracole1977) March 14, 2022
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14/03/22 02:39am Blackhead Dunedin#aurora #newzealand #???? #?? #?? #???????? #??? pic.twitter.com/OPXBNafu0C
— Yuki @NZ (@YRNZ61) March 13, 2022
Geomagnetic storm lasted into early March 14
wow we’re still in the storm now G2 geomagnetic storm. pic.twitter.com/rdQG0nvsgY
— Industrial Engineer Irene Quiroz (@nenecallas) March 13, 2022
EXTENDED GEOMAGNETIC STORM: The storm has now lasted for 12 hours, mostly at G2 level (Kp=6). How much longer will it persist? pic.twitter.com/IEFAAXfc66
— Keith Strong (@drkstrong) March 14, 2022
Sunspots for March 14, 2022

The storm was predicted in advance
Direct Hit! NOAA (left) & NASA (right) prediction models show #solarstorm to hit Earth between 12:00 & 21:00 UTC March 13. Impact should be strong! Expect #aurora deep into mid-latitudes, amateur #radio & #GPS reception issues, especially near dawn/dusk, & on Earth's nightside! pic.twitter.com/m9a24WgzIJ
— Dr. Tamitha Skov (@TamithaSkov) March 11, 2022
The magnetic field in this event is more than twice at large as any other seen since launch, other than Earth's during flyby. The instrument autonomously changes sensitivity to ensure it does not saturate: it is designed for a Carrington class event. pic.twitter.com/0el8TOTr2P
— Solar Orbiter magnetometer (@SolarOrbiterMAG) March 12, 2022
NASA CME model for March 10 to 20

Check this out: Jupiter near the sun


Sun news heating up as Solar Cycle 25 progresses
The sun is in the rising part of its 11-year cycle of activity, meaning we can expect more solar activity over the next few years. Recently, the sun reached its 100th sunspot in less than 70 days. Keith Strong reported the increase in solar activity, and shared this table, via Twitter:
SOLAR ACTIVITY ACCLERATING: The Sun just produced its 100th sunspot region this year in less than 70 days. How does that compare with the first 2 years of Solar Cycle 25? It took most of 2020 to get to 100 new sunspot regions. In 2021, that number was not reached until 6th June. pic.twitter.com/Z2RGbkQD07
— Keith Strong (@drkstrong) March 10, 2022
Some sun images from the EarthSky community




Bottom line: A CME sideswiped Earth March 10. A second CME, spawned by a flare near sunspot AR2962 on March 10, struck Earth more directly March 13.