Mysteries of the Sun: The Solar Storm of 8 May & the Aurora at HanleSCOPE Public Lecture

by Wageesh Mishra (Indian Institute of Astrophysics)

Friday May 24, 2024, 5:00 PM → 6:00 PM Asia/Kolkata

Auditorium

The solar storms that were generated at the Sun on 8 May, and which hit the Earth on 10-11 May 2024, were the strongest in more than 20 years. These caused aurorae to be seen even at low latitudes across the world, including at Hanle, in Ladakh. In this talk, we will learn how our Sun can generate powerful magnetic fields, leading to explosive coronal mass ejections and solar flares, how these can create severe space weather that can affect everything from satellite communications to power grids on Earth, and place it in a historical context.