Congratulations! Massive achievement.

Thanks for checking it out!

(Out now in the UK, and available to preorder in USA for release on Dec 9th. Available wherever you get your books!)

A geomagnetic storm is what creates the aurora for us on Earth. The very largest events can also threaten power grids, satellites, etc. (Such damage is very unlikely for this incoming event).

Finally, eruptions from the Sun (called coronal mass ejections), are ejections of plasma from the Sun’s atmosphere. These travel <1% of the speed of light, so take 1-4+ days to reach us. These impact our magnetic field to create a geomagnetic storm!

‘Solar Radiation Storms’ are clouds of high energy particles (protons and electrons), traveling at relativistic speeds near the speed of light! These arrive minutes after the flare is detected. These particles can damage solar panels, computer systems & detectors in space.

‪What do all these things mean? A ‘Radio Blackout’ is the response of the Earth’s atmosphere the X-Ray radiation from the flare. It happens instantly (arriving at the speed of light), and expands the upper atmosphere to disrupt radio communication, satellite orbits, etc.‬

It was the Rim Rock half marathon in Colorado National Monument! I only started running this summer (Bolder Boulder inspired me to do it), so my time wasn’t amazing! I did it in 2:05 – better than my expectation, but I’m definitely chasing the sub-2 next time.

Ha! Yes, exactly.

(Also, the race photographer did such a great job here!)

If anyone wants to learn more about solar activity and its influence on both the aurora and our critical infrastructure – I recommend my new book! It’s out now in the UK, and available to preorder in North America for next month.

Some better photos from my camera, albeit from a less dynamic phase of the aurora.

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