BREAKING! 🚨 It just hit us, people! 😱 The coronal mass ejection that broke off from the Sun yesterday during the X1.9 flare just slammed into Earth! And after only 25 hours of travel – which is mega fast, since these space snot blobs usually take 2-4 days! 🏃♀️💨
The Sun is literally going crazy! 🤪 We already have a strong G4 geomagnetic storm and the aurora has already appeared in the Netherlands and Germany! According to current data, we're even expecting an extreme G5 storm! 😲 That means the colorful show could be visible from France and even from Italy! 🇮🇹 Americans should also pay attention, because this cosmic disco 🪩 could reach Nevada, Utah, and with a bit of luck even Florida and Texas! So if you have friends abroad, tell them to look up – this might not happen again for them!
This is already a historic event 📚, because right now we're experiencing a strong S4 solar radiation storm. We haven't had such an intense storm since the famous "Halloween Event" in 2003! 🎃 It's the third strongest radiation storm since measurements began! Ladies and gentlemen, this is no joke like Saturday night boozing at Šírava! 🍻 If you're interested in the details, read our article about solar radiation storms. S4 storms cause problems for satellite operators and disrupt HF radio communications. 📡
We can't even use real-time solar wind data from the ACE spacecraft (which is currently active), because it starts glitching at S2 level and higher. 🤖 IMF parameters (Bt, Bz) are reliable, so use those values. But it's safe to say that the solar wind speed is now significantly above 1000 km/s! That's like giving your grandma a Red Bull and sending her on the highway! 👵🏻⚡
Warning! ⚠️ These false solar wind data mean that the OVATION aurora model is not accurate, since it uses solar wind data to plot the oval on the map. Data from ACE may only become reliable again at S1 or S2 level.
We're also having issues with Kp alerts and Kp data on our website. We're working on a fix like crazy! 🔧🧰
Don't forget to submit your observations! 📸 Run outside with your camera and document how things are going absolutely wild up there! And if you happen to see the aurora in Slovakia, please photograph it immediately and send it in – this kind of space carnage doesn't happen very often! 😍
Follow ziara.sk for current updates! 📱✨ Share this post so everyone knows that space is throwing the biggest party of the year right now! 🎉
Your Astronomer Cassandra ✨
