Free Astronomy Magazine July-August 2024 ARABIC VERSION

I Can another Carrington Event occur? by Michele Ferrara revised by Damian G. Allis NASA Solar System Ambassador n the first ten days of May, the spectacle of the auroras, usually re- stricted to the high latitudes of our planet, appeared almost as far as the tropics. Something similar last hap- pened at the end of October 2003. It is a rare event, and those who have managed to see the reddish hues of the auroras at low latitudes can con- sider themselves privileged. As with all auroras, those that ap- peared in May were the consequence of intense solar flares associated with coronal mass ejections (CMEs). This mass is composed of plasma, i.e., highly energetic charged particles (essentially protons and electrons) that are released in large quantities into space when the twisted lines of force of the magnetic fields of major active solar regions tear apart. When those particles and the “frag- ments” of magnetic fields that they bring with them impact the Earth’s magnetosphere at speeds that can reach 3,000 km/s (almost 2,000 M/S), what happens is that part of them are channeled towards the polar re- gions, colliding with atmospheric gases. This causes the excitation of the atoms that make up those gases (the outermost electrons move to higher energy levels), which quickly get rid of the surplus of energy by emitting photons at characteristic wavelengths: nitrogen in blue, mo- ﻣﺠﻠﺔ FreeAstronomy ﺎﻟﻌﺮ ﺔ 4 ﻫﻞ ﻤﻜﻦ أن ﺗﺘﻜﺮر ﺣﺎدﺛﺔ ﺎر ﻨﻐﺘﻮن ﻣﺮة أ ﺧﺮى؟ : ﻘﻠﻢ ﻣ ﺸﻴﻞ ﻓ ﺮا ﺗﻤﺖ ﻣﺮاﺟﻌﺘﮫ ﺑﻮاﺳﻄﺔ داﻣ ﺎن ﺟﻲ أﻟ ﺲ ﺑﺮﺎﻣﺞ ﺳﻔ اﻟﻨﻈﺎم اﻟﺸﻤﺴﻲ ﺑﻮ ﺎﻟﺔ ﻧﺎﺳﺎ ﺷـﻬﺪت اﻷﻳﺎم اﻟ ـ ﻌﴩة اﻷوﱃ ﻣـﻦ ﺷـﻬﺮ ﻮ ﻇﻬ ﻣﺎﻳﻮ ر ﻣﺸﻬﺪ اﻟﺸﻔﻖ اﻟﻘﻄﺒـﻲ اﻟـﺬي ﻳﻘﺘﴫﻋﺎدةً ﻋﲆ ﺧﻄـﻮط اﻟﻌـﺮض اﻟﻌﻠﻴـﺎ ﻟﻜﻮﻛﺒﻨﺎ ﺣﺘﻰ ا ﻨﺎﻃﻖ اﻻﺳـﺘﻮاﺋﻴﺔ ﺗﻘﺮﻳ . ﺎﺒـ ﺣﺪث ﳾء ﻣﻤﺎﺛﻞ آﺧﺮ ﻣﺮة ﰲ ﻧﻬﺎﻳﺔ أﻛﺘﻮﺑﺮ 2003 إﻧﻪ ﺣﺪث ﻧﺎدر وأوﻟﺌﻚ اﻟﺬﻳﻦ ﺗﻤﻜﻨـﻮا ﻣﻦ رؤﻳﺔ اﻷﻟﻮان اﻟ ﺤﻤﺮاء ﻟﻠﺸﻔﻖ اﻟﻘﻄﺒـﻲ ﻋﻨﺪ ﺧﻄﻮط اﻟﻌﺮض ا ﻨﺨﻔﻀـﺔ ﻳﻤﻜـﻦ أن ﻳﻌﺘﱪوا أﻧﻔﺴﻬﻢ ﻣﺤﻈﻮﻇ ﻛ ﻤﺎ ﻫﻮ اﻟﺤﺎل ﻣﻊ ﺟﻤﻴﻊ اﻟﺸﻔﻖ اﻟﻘﻄﺒ ﻲ ﻓـﺎن ﺗﻠـﻚ اﻟﺘـﻲ ـــ ﻇﻬــﺮت ﰲ ﺷــﻬﺮ ﻣــﺎﻳﻮ ﻛﺎﻧــﺖ ﻧﺘﻴﺠــﺔ ﻟﻠﺘﻮﻫﺠﺎت اﻟﺸﻤﺴـﻴﺔ اﻟﺸـﺪﻳﺪ ة ا ﺮﺗﺒﻄـﺔ ﺑﺎﻻﻧﺒﻌـﺎث اﻟﻜـﺘﲇ اﻹﻛﻠـﻴﲇ . ﺗﺘﻜـﻮن ﻫـﺬه اﻟﻜﺘﻠﺔ ﻣﻦ اﻟﺒﻼزﻣﺎ أي ﺟﺴﻴﻤﺎت ﻣﺸـﺤﻮﻧﺔ ﻋﺎﻟﻴ ـﺔ اﻟﻄﺎﻗ ـﺔ ) ﺑﺮوﺗﻮﻧــﺎت وإﻟﻜﱰوﻧ ـﺎت ﺑﺸﻜﻞ أﺳﺎﳼ ( ﻳﺘﻢ إﻃﻼﻗﻬﺎ ﺑﻜﻤﻴﺎت ﻛﺒ ة ﰲ اﻟﻔﻀﺎء ﻋﻨـﺪﻣﺎ ﺗﺘﻤـﺰق ﺧﻄـﻮط اﻟﻘـﻮة ا ﻠﺘﻮﻳﺔ ﻟﻠﻤﺠﺎﻻت ا ﻐﻨﺎﻃﻴﺴـﻴﺔ ﻟﻠﻤﻨـﺎﻃﻖ اﻟﺸﻤﺴــﻴﺔ اﻟﻨﺸــﻄﺔ اﻟﺮﺋﻴﺴــﻴﺔ ﻋﻨــﺪﻣﺎ و ﺗﺼــﻄﺪم ﺗﻠــﻚ اﻟﺠﺴــﻴﻤﺎت و " " ﺷــﻈﺎﻳﺎ ـــــــ - ﻳﻮﻟﻴﻮ ﺃﻏﺴﻄﺲ 2 0 2 4 ا ﺠﺎﻻت ا ﻐﻨﺎﻃﻴﺴﻴﺔ اﻟﺘﻲ ﺗﺤﻤﻠﻬﺎ ﺑﺎﻷرض اﻟﻐﻼف ا ﻐﻨﺎﻃﻴﴘ ﺑﴪﻋﺎت ﻳﻤﻜﻦ أن ﺗﺼﻞ إﱃ 3000 /ﻛﻢ ث ﻣﺎ ﻳﺤﺪث أن ﺟـﺰءاً ﻣﻨﻬـﺎ ﻳﺘﺠﻪ ﻧﺤـﻮ ا ﻨـﺎﻃﻖ اﻟﻘﻄﺒﻴـﺔ وﻳﺼـﻄﺪم ﺑﻐﺎزات اﻟﻐﻼف اﻟﺠﻮي وﻳﺘﺴﺒﺐ ﻫﺬا ﰲ إﺛﺎرة اﻟﺬرات اﻟﺘـﻲ ﺗﺘﻜـﻮن ﻣﻨﻬـﺎ ﺗﻠـﻚ اﻟﻐـﺎزات ) ﺗﻨﺘﻘﻞ اﻹﻟﻜﱰوﻧﺎت ا ﻟﺨﺎرﺟﻴﺔ إﱃ ﻣﺴﺘﻮﻳﺎت و ( ﻃﺎﻗﺔ أﻋﲆ ﺗﺘﺨﻠﺺ ﺑﴪﻋﺔ ﻣـﻦ ﻓـﺎﺋﺾ اﻟﻄﺎﻗﺔ ﻋﻦ ﻃﺮﻳﻖ إﺻﺪار ﻓﻮﺗﻮﻧﺎت ﺑﺄﻃﻮال ــ