VOA科学技术2024--Scientists Expect More Solar Storms, Northern Lights

Space scientists say unusual lights in the sky, known as the northern lights, are more likely to appear because of intense activity on the sun.

The cause is the 11-year solar cycle. During a period of about 11 years, the sun's activity changes. The U.S. space agency, NASA, says changes in the sun's magnetic field cause the activity, which can result in sunspots.

Strong storms on the sun this year have created these "lights" in the sky called auroras. They look like moving waves of color filling the skies similar to what happens as dawn nears. Now, space scientists say these "light shows" are likely to be seen much farther south than usual.

The colors in the sky that people might see may be pink, purple, green or blue. The auroras are called the northern lights because they can usually only be seen in areas in the extreme north of the world near the Arctic Circle.

Space scientists who observe the sun through a special telescope can sometimes see darker places, called sunspots. The sunspots are areas where magnetic fields are stronger than in other places on the sun, NASA says.

The energy released from the interaction of these magnetic fields may cause a flare, a bright spot, which is an explosion of radiation from the sun. It shows up as a flash of light to observers.

Sometimes a large amount of solar material shoots away from the sun. This is called a coronal mass ejection, and it results in a geomagnetic storm when it arrives at the Earth.

The solar cycle at a high point

The sun is currently at the highest part of its 11-year cycle, making solar flares and northern lights more common. NASA and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, known as NOAA, say they expect this active period to last for at least another year. But they will not know until months later when solar activity was at its highest.

Kelly Korreck studies the stream of particles that come from the sun called the solar wind. Korreck led a project to develop an instrument to study the solar wind that was on NASA's Parker Solar Probe that got close to the sun in 2021.

The Parker Solar probe collected material and measured magnetic activity on the sun. Korreck said this solar cycle has provided more colorful auroras farther south and even more are likely. "We still could possibly get some good shows in the next few months," she added.

Solar storms affect Earth

Solar storms are powerful. They can temporarily disrupt electricity service and communications on Earth. NOAA follows space weather and warns operators of power stations and spacecraft in orbit.

In May, NOAA issued a rare severe geomagnetic storm warning. The radiation from the storm that arrived on Earth was the strongest in more than 20 years. It produced northern lights that people could see in many places in the Northern Hemisphere. That same month, scientists recorded the biggest flare erupting from the sun, but Earth was not in its path.

Earlier solar cycles have produced storms more intense than the one in May. Bill Murtagh is the Program Coordinator for the Space Weather Prediction Center at NOAA. He said space weather experts are keeping a close watch on the sun to prepare for any major problems.

Recently, a powerful solar storm gave those watching the sky a beautiful show far from the Arctic Circle. People could see auroras in Germany, Britain, and also in New England and New York City.

I'm Jill Robbins.

Adithi Ramakrishnan reported this story for the Associated Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English with additional information from NOAA and NASA.

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Words in This Story

solar - adj. of or relating to the sun

cycle -n. repeated or regular events that happen over a set period of time

dawn -n. when the sun rises above the horizon

disrupt -v. to interfere with normal activities or processes

erupt -v. to explode or shoot out

0 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。

0 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

0 flare   

v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发

参考例句：

• The match gave a flare.火柴发出闪光。
• You need not flare up merely because I mentioned your work.你大可不必因为我提到你的工作就动怒。

0 flares   

n.喇叭裤v.（使）闪耀( flare的第三人称单数 )；（使）（船舷）外倾；（使）鼻孔张大；（使）（衣裙、酒杯等）呈喇叭形展开

参考例句：

• The side of a ship flares from the keel to the deck. 船舷从龙骨向甲板外倾。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He's got a fiery temper and flares up at the slightest provocation. 他是火爆性子，一点就着。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

0 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。