Auroras are caused by the same forces that produce ground-level electric currents, meaning they could be bad news for important infrastructure.
The Northern Lights is known for its stunning, colourful sky displays, but new research suggests that these beautiful auroras could actually be harmful.
Published in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences, recent findings reveal how the phenomena responsible for creating the mesmerizing auroras are also behind potentially damaging currents that could wreak havoc on electrically conducting structures such as pipelines. Dr Oliveira explained that auroras are caused by two processes: either particles ejected from the sun reach Earth's magnetic field and cause a geomagnetic storm, or interplanetary shocks compress Earth's magnetic field.
"Our work shows that considerable geoelectric currents occur quite frequently after shocks, and they deserve attention." Luckily, we've found a pair of Wireless Earbuds for less than £20 that shoppers say rival both Apple and Beats- the Anker Soundcore P20i True Wireless Earbuds. To determine the properties of the shocks, such as angle and speed, they utilised interplanetary magnetic field and solar wind data.
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