Last year, a geomagnetic storm dubbed the Gannon superstorm was one of the strongest of its kind in decades, buffeting the Earth with waves electromagnetic waves and causing not only spectacular auroras all over the planet but also technological disruption.

The storm even caused two temporary belts of radiation around Earth, both inside the known Van Allen radiation belts. But the biggest effect of the storm was seen inside Earth’s magnetosphere.

“The Gannon storm also rocked Earth’s magnetosphere, the magnetic bubble surrounding the planet,” Mara Johnson-Groh, Miles Hatfield, and Vanessa Thomas explain in the new NASA statement.

“Data from NASA missions MMS (Magnetospheric Multiscale) and THEMIS-ARTEMIS – short for Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions-Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of the Moon’s Interaction with the Sun – saw giant, curling waves of particles and rolled-up magnetic fields along the edge of the CMEs. These waves were perfectly sized to periodically dump extra magnetic energy and mass into the magnetosphere upon impact, creating the largest electrical current seen in the magnetosphere in 20 years.”

For those who enjoy the sight of colorful auroras in the sky (sometimes called “Northern lights) these storms provded an unprecedented opportunity to see them beyond the usual arctic climes.

“During the May 10-11th 2024 superstorm, magenta auroras were observed above Japan instead of the typical red. In this study, we demonstrate that the magenta hue is created by a mixture of red (O) and a blue (N2+) aurora at extremely high altitudes. The blue color originates from the N2+ first negative emission band caused by both resonant scattering of the upwelling molecular ions and heavy particle precipitation during the storm,” a study looking into the phenomenon found.

“Additionally, we show that high solar activity, terrestrial season, and the preheating of the atmosphere all contribute to the occurrence of magenta aurora.”

But although the storm created pretty atmospheric effects in the sky, it also caused a great deal of damage, mainly to our satellite systems. The Earth’s atmosphere expanded due to heat, causing drag on thousands of satellites, stressing many and even causing a few to “de-orbit” (i.e., crash).

The effect on the satellites also caused problems for GPS-led tractors, causing many to go off their routes.

“Not all farms were affected, but those that were lost on average about $17,000 per farm,” Terry Griffin, a professor of Agricultural Economics at Kansas State University, said. “It’s not catastrophic, but they’ll miss it.”

This solar storm made more than pretty auroras.

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