The X-flare of Jan. 9th did something rare. It jerked Earth's magnetic field. Here is a composite of magnetometer recordings from Boulder, Colorado; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Fredericksburg, Virginia:
The "jerk" is circled in yellow. It began around 1846 UT, and was detected by many magnetic observatories across the dayside of Earth at the time of the flare.
The phenomenon is called a 'magnetic crochet.' Radiation from the flare ionized the top of Earth's atmosphere and caused currents to flow 60 km to 100 km above Earth's surface. These currents, in turn, briefly altered Earth's magnetic field. Everything returned to normal a few minutes later.
The "jerk" is circled in yellow. It began around 1846 UT, and was detected by many magnetic observatories across the dayside of Earth at the time of the flare.
The phenomenon is called a 'magnetic crochet.' Radiation from the flare ionized the top of Earth's atmosphere and caused currents to flow 60 km to 100 km above Earth's surface. These currents, in turn, briefly altered Earth's magnetic field. Everything returned to normal a few minutes later.
