A rare but powerful event occurred between April 12 and 13, where two distinct coronal mass ejections (CME) were launched from the Sun toward the Earth. This incident can lead to the formation of auroras or northern lights on April 16. The CMEs could also lead to geomagnetic storms or solar storm effects in some regions. The double CMEs were spotted by space agencies during routine observations, and due to the trajectory and proximity of the solar particles, researchers have given it a high chance of geomagnetic storms.

Powerful Solar Eruption: NOAA Issues Storm Watch

The CMEs were rooted from a highly active sunspot area, which produced M-class and X-class solar flares in the past days. As per the observation of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), these solar eruptions have issued a geomagnetic storm watch and are expected to arrive on April 16, resulting in moderate (G2) or strong geomagnetic (G3) storms. However, such storms can lead to spectacular auroral activity, which is worth watching. NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Centre contributes to monitoring this event regularly.

Visibility of Auroras

The possibility of auroras is generally at the polar regions, where geomagnetic storms are high. This time, these storms extend their visibility much farther south. Skywatchers can see auroras across Canada, Minnesota, Michigan, Idaho, New York and a glimpse in Northern Europe.

Predictions released by the European Space Agency (ESA) show the possible intensity and trajectory of this incoming solar material. Space weather Physicist Tamitha Skov wrote in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) that these solar storms will likely travel slowly but are dense, which could pack a decent punch.

How CMEs Affect Earth

CMEs are the explosion of solar plasma and magnetic fields that, upon reaching the Earth, intersect with the planet’s magnetosphere. At the time, when this intersection gets strong, the charged particles collide with the atmosphere of Earth and lead to the formation of colourful lights called auroras. These may impact radio communications, GPS systems or electrical power transmission.

Future Implications

It is expected that there are higher chances of such activities to happen from time to time over the remainder of this solar cycle, the highest that we could experience, said Shawn Dahl, service coordinator for the Space Weather Prediction Centre. In simple words, more geomagnetic storms can be expected as the Sun reaches through its cycle.

Blue Origin, the private space company of Jeff Bezos, made history on Monday (April 14) by taking an all-female crew to space and back. It was the first all-female flight after more than 60 years, dating back to June 16, 1963, when Soviet Union’s Valentina Tereshkova lifted off on a three-day mission to Earth’s orbit. She flew by herself and made history by being the first woman in space. However, NS-31 was the first space flight with all female members. This was the 31st overall mission of Blue Origin and the 11th crewed flight taken by the reusable New Shepard vehicle.

Female Crew Members

The onboard members were Katy Perry, the famous pop star singer; Gayle King, co-host of the CBS Morning Show; Aisha Bowe, NASA Rocket Scientist; Kerianne Flynn, film producer; Amanda Nguyen, the civil rights activist; and Lauren Sánchez, journalist. As per ABC News, the women were called upon by Sánchez, who is the fiancée to Jeff Bezos. The official handle of Blue Origin on X (formerly known as Twitter) shared visuals of the space vehicle’s liftoff.

According to Blue Origin, each of them put a little of themselves into the NS-31 mission patch. For instance, a small scale indicates Amanda’s advocacy for civil rights and social rights, and the exploding fireworks signal Perry’s global presence across pop culture and philanthropy.
The crewmembers named the mission patch “the six taking up space”.

Launch and Landing

The New Shepard space vehicle was launched at 9:31 ET (1331 GMT) from the launch pad at the site of Blue Origin in West Texas, about 30 miles to the north of Van Horn. The spacecraft went as high as the Karman line, the edge of space, which is located 100km above the surface of the Earth, and then safely landed back.

Before returning to Earth, the crewmembers experienced weightlessness for a little while and could see Earth surrounded by the blackness of space. The flight lasted for around 11 minutes and was livestreamed by Blue Origin. One of the crew members said Look at the moon, and Perry replied, Oh my God, that’s our pink Moon. This was the 31st mission of Blue Origin’s reusable Shephard vehicle, therefore, the name was derived—and the 11th with the crew. The others are research flights without crew.

Japanese scientists say that the evolution of photosynthesis caused Earth’s oceans to be formerly green, as per a report. The study suggests that the oceans supported only single-celled organisms and featured environments with barren landscapes of grey, brown, and black rocks. Within a period of 1.5 billion years, the slow changes in ocean chemistry could help explain why blue-green algae developed both types of photosynthetic pigments. The color of the planet’s oceans is linked to water chemistry and life influence.

Before Blue: The Green Ocean Era

According to the report, Earth’s oceans were once green. The chemistry and evolution of photosynthesis account for this shift. Discovered throughout the Archean and Paleoproterozoic ages, banded iron formations—which were laid between 3.8 and 1.8 billion years ago—were formed when life was limited to one-celled creatures in the oceans; the continents were desolate gray, brown, and black rock and silt terrain.

Green Seas Sparked Life

The first life using sunlight emerged in the Archean eon, when Earth’s atmosphere and seas lacked gaseous oxygen. These creatures started the “Great Oxidation Event,” a significant ecological turning point permitting advanced life on Earth, using anaerobic photosynthesis. The “bands” of various colours in banded iron formations capture this change with an oscillation between iron deposits devoid of oxygen and red oxidized iron.

The case for green oceans in the Archean eon starts with an observation: waters around the Japanese volcanic island of Iwo Jima have a greenish hue linked to a form of oxidized iron — Fe(III). Blue-green algae thrive in the green waters surrounding the island, and their ancestors evolved alongside other bacteria that use ferrous iron instead of water as the source of electrons for photosynthesis.

Life Changes Ocean Colours

Photosynthetic organisms use pigments (mostly chlorophyll) in their cells to transform carbon dioxide into sugars using the energy of the sun. Genetically engineered modern blue-green algae with phycoerythrobilin (PEB) grow better in green waters, suggesting that pale-green dot worlds viewed from space are excellent candidate planets to harbor early photosynthetic life.

The color of our oceans is linked to water chemistry and the influence of life. Purple oceans could be possible on Earth if the levels of sulfur were high, red oceans could be possible under intense tropical climates, or a type of algae linked to “red tides” could dominate the surface oceans. As the sun ages, changes in the color of our oceans are inevitable, as nothing is permanent at geological timescales.