Aurora is over Kamchatka again!

Results of continuous monitoring of the Earth’s magnetic field state, carried out at Paratunka Complex Geophysical Observatory of IKIR FEB RAS, showed development of disturbances with the local K-index of geomagnetic activity up to 5 from about 08:00 UTC on 9 November 2024 (see the figure).

The planetary index of geomagnetic disturbance Kp was also estimated as 5 (the maximum is 9). Thus, the observed anomalies can be classified only as a «small magnetic storm» (i.e. as insignificant).

Nevertheless, the all-sky camera installed at the Institute, recorded intensive illumination at the line 630.0 nm (red line of atomic oxygen). The illumination covered up to the third part of the sky in the north. It can be considered as the average-intensity aurora.

Moreover, weaker illumination was also observed at the green line of oxygen (557.7 nm).

Unfortunately, the night was not clear enough to observe the phenomenon confidently in the south of Kamchatka. However, it is possible that curious local people of the peninsula observed the aurora visually after midnight at the locations without background light.

Expected positions of the aurora ovals, published by the Space Weather Prediction Center of the USA, are also illustrated in the figure.

According to the data of ACE and DSCOVR spacecraft, the Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) polarity changed to southern from about 16:30 UTС on 8 November 2024 as the result of the arrival of the solar wind flux from the coronal hole on the Sun. These are the regions on the star surface, from which high-speed plasma fluxes are ejected. Their illumination in the X-ray range is decreased that is why they are dark on the Sun X-ray radiation images. When the field polarity is southern, the Earth’s magnetosphere is open that causes penetration of the solar wind plasma into it and, as a sequence, moderate increase of geomagnetic activity (from 18:00 on 8 November 2024 until 06:00 on 10 November 2024, the Kp index was less then 4).

As the result of the long impact of the IMF southern polarity, auroral activity increased and aurora appeared. It could be observed in the northern latitudes. According to the Starvizor Project data, auroras were also observed in Buryatiya, Sverdlovsk and Ryazan regions on that night.