Space Weather

See our amazing collection of stories and features about the increasingly important topic of space weather (aka solar storms).

Related Topics: Solar Eclipse, Aurora Borealis 

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Auroras can be generated when the sun belches out particles that hit the Earth's upper atmosphere.

Stunning Northern Lights shine amid solar storm (photos)

By Elizabeth Howell published

Earth was zapped by a solar storm on Sunday (Aug. 7) and the activity generated enormous auroras, or northern lights, across a swath of the planet.

artist's depiction

Solar storm from hole in the sun will hit Earth on Wednesday (Aug. 3)

By Ben Turner published

Holes in the sun can beam out solar material at 500 miles per second.

A small satellite deployed from the International Space Station.

Satellites can disappear in major solar storms and it could take weeks to find them

By Tereza Pultarova last updated

Satellites and space debris objects in low Earth orbit could get lost for weeks if a major solar storm hit Earth, increasing the risk of collisions and rendering the space around Earth unsafe.

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured the solar flare May 3, 2022, which is visible at lower left.

Solar wind blowing from the sun could trigger aurora displays

By Tereza Pultarova published

Solar wind is blowing from the sun with unusual intensity these days, and space weather forecasters think it might make polar lights brighter.

A large fiery flare from the sun is hitting Earth.

The worst solar storms in history

By Tariq Malik published

Reference Earth is no stranger to the sun's wrath. From solar flares to coronal mass ejections, we take a look at some of the worst solar storms in history.

Artist's illustration of a very active sun next to Earth.

Space weather: What is it and how is it predicted?

By Daisy Dobrijevic, Andrew May last updated

Reference Space weather refers to conditions in the region of space that is affected by the sun. It is tricky to predict and can wreak havoc on the technological world.

One of the European Swarm satellites that measure Earth's magnetic field.

Satellite dodges space debris as it scrambles against space weather

By Tereza Pultarova published

A European satellite that has been scrambling to escape premature death in Earth's atmosphere due to bad space weather has narrowly avoided a collision with a random piece of space junk.

A magnificent aurora above the South Pole photographed from the International Space Station.

Planned NASA mission to the 'ignorosphere' could improve space weather forecasts

By Tereza Pultarova last updated

There is a layer of Earth's atmosphere that we know almost nothing about. NASA wants to change that.

Artist's illustration of the sun firing out large fiery looking solar flares.

Solar flares: What are they and how do they affect Earth?

By Daisy Dobrijevic last updated

Reference There are five different types of solar flares. Discover what solar flares are, what causes them and the effects they have on Earth in our solar flare guide.

Artist's illustration showing solar wind particles flying through space.

Solar wind: What is it and how does it affect Earth?

By Daisy Dobrijevic last updated

Reference Solar wind is composed of charged particles and the sun's magnetic field and is continually released from our star. Explore the phenomenon in more detail here.

The visualization above shows the magnetic field around Earth, the magnetosphere, as it might look from space.

How Earth's Magnetic Field Would Look from Space

By LiveScience Staff last updated

The magnetosphere protects life on Earth from harmful solar storms.

earth magnetic field

Earth's Magnetic Field Can Reverse Poles Ridiculously Quickly, Study Suggests

By Brandon Specktor last updated

Earth's magnetic field is far less stable than scientists thought.

earth's magnetic fields

Is Earth's Magnetic Field Flipping Soon?

By Elizabeth Howell last updated

a major solar flare

Is the electric grid ready for extreme space weather?

By Greg Uyeno published

It's clear that space weather can cause blackouts, but scientists are still working to predict extreme events and forecast their potentially devastating effects.

A growing number of Starlink satellites can be found in low orbit around Earth.

SpaceX's Starlink satellites will help improve space weather forecasts amid sun's unpredictable activity

By Tereza Pultarova published

SpaceX's Starlink satellites are providing data to NOAA to help improve space weather forecasts as spacecraft operators struggle with unexpected effects of frequent solar eruptions.

Artist's illustration of a coronal mass ejection like the one that caused the 1859 the Carrington Even

The Carrington Event: History's greatest solar storm

By Andrew May, Daisy Dobrijevic last updated

Reference The Carrington Event took place in September 1859 and is one of history's largest solar storms. Events like this can wreak havoc on our technological world.

The sun occasionally ejects large amounts of energy and particles into space that can smash into Earth.

Solar storms can destroy satellites with ease — a space weather expert explains the science

By Piyush Mehta last updated

Geomagnetic storms occur when space weather hits and interacts with Earth. Space weather is caused by fluctuations within the sun that blast electrons, protons and other particles into space.

Space Situational Awareness program

How are asteroids, space weather and space debris detected before they hit Earth?

By Andrew May, How It Works magazine last updated

The European Space Agency’s Space Situational Awareness program is tackling the problem on three fronts.

has to pass through the Van Allen radiation belts, a risky environment for its electronics.

Here's the space weather forecast for NASA's James Webb Space Telescope launch

By Tereza Pultarova last updated

Space weather could derail the James Webb Space Telescope launch tomorrow. But so far, all seems in favour for tomorrow's big day.

This still image from a NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory video shows a powerful X1.1-class solar flare erupting from the sunspot AR2994 as it turns away from Earth on April 30, 2022.

Sun erupts with powerful solar flare from departing sunspot

By Tariq Malik last updated

An active sunspot on the sun turning away from Earth unleashed a powerful parting shot as it moved out of view on Saturday (April 30).