On October 9, a coronal mass ejection (CME) exited the Sun and reached Earth three days later, on October 12. As reported by NASA, this eruption raised the Kp index, a measure of disturbance of the Earth's magnetic field, to 6, which is considered a moderate level (levels range from 0 to 9).
The flare also generated an eruption of solar energy particles that was detected by NASA's Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory-Ahead. Additionally, the initial velocity of this CME was about 983 kilometers per second, as estimated by NASA's Moon-to-Mars Space Weather Operations Office.
Although these geomagnetic storms can be dangerous, this week's was very weak, and its biggest detectable effect was an increase in the northern lights from the poles.
