Helio Highlights: May 2025 – NASA Science
The sun is 93 million kilometers from the earth, on average. Even if it’s far away, we can always see and feel its effects here. One of the most beautiful effects is the dawn – colorful lights that dance in the sky near the north and southern poles. These are also called the North and South lights. They occur when tiny particles of the sun have struck gas molecules in our atmosphere and generate energy.
Sometimes the sun becomes very active and sends much more energy than normal. When this happens, we can see dawn much further from the poles than normal. In May 2024, around Mother’s Day, the sun sent powerful solar storms towards the earth. These storms were also called the storms of Gannon, named Jennifer Gannon, a scientist who studied space weather. Northern lights could be seen as far south as Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Mexico, Jamaica and Bahamas. The southern lights were also visible as far north as South Africa and New Zealand.
Scientists who study the sun and its effects on our solar system work in an area called heliophysics. Their studies on the sun have shown that it goes through more active and less active cycles. Each of these cycles lasts about 11 years, but can last from 8 to 14 years old. This is called the solar cycle.
The middle of each cycle is called the maximum solar. Meanwhile, the sun has darker spots (called sundas) and creates more space meteorological events. The large storms in May 2024 occurred during the solar maximum for the solar cycle 25.
On May 8 and 9, 2024, an active area on the sun called AR3664 turned powerful solar rockets and several huge energy bursts called coronal mass ejections (CME). These CMEs went directly to earth. The first CME spread the normal solar wind, making a clear path for others to reach us faster. When all this energy has struck our atmosphere, it created aurora much further from the poles than usual. It was as if the sun had given a huge boost to the dawn!
The dawn is magnificent to look at, but the space time that creates them can also cause problems. Spatial weather can spoil radio signals, electrical networks, GPS systems and satellites. During storms in May 2024, the GPS systems used by farmers were disrupted. Many farmers use general practitioners to guide their autonomous tractors. Since this has happened during the advanced planting season, this may cost billions of dollars losing profit.
Because space weather can cause so many problems, NASA scientists and around the world watch the sun closely to predict when these events occur. You can also help yourself! Join local scientific projects in schools, teach others on the sun and help make observations in your region. All this helps us know more about the sun and how it affects our planet.
