Space Hurricane [UPSC Geography Notes]

In March 2021, scientists for the first time observed a space hurricane over the Earth’s North Pole. What are space hurricanes? What causes a space hurricane? Get answers to all these questions for your IAS exam preparation in this article. 

Space hurricanes can be a potential question in your upcoming UPSC Prelims exam as part of geography and current affairs.

What are Space Hurricanes?

Astronomers have detected a powerful 1000 km-wide hurricane of plasma in Earth’s upper atmosphere, which is now termed ‘space hurricane’.

• Previously, space hurricanes were thought to be a theoretical phenomenon, but now, the space hurricane was reported directly above the North Pole.
• Satellite observations taken in 2014 show a space hurricane over the North Pole that raged on for about eight hours and spun counterclockwise at about 4700 miles per hour.
• The hurricane was invisible to the naked eye.
• They occurred in the ionosphere and were made of a tangled mess of magnetic field lines and fast-flying solar wind.
• The space hurricane was shaped like a funnel with a quiet “eye” at the centre, surrounded by several counterclockwise-spinning spiral arms of plasma (ionized gas found all over the solar system, including in Earth’s atmosphere).
• The nomenclature hurricane was given since it had a formation quite like the terrestrial hurricanes or cyclones as called in the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific.
• A space hurricane is a form of environmental phenomenon where instead of wind and rain, charged electrons and plasma make up the majority of the storm. 
• It is a giant, funnel-like, spiral geomagnetic storm that occurs above the polar ionosphere of the Earth, during very quiet conditions.
• They are related to the aurora borealis phenomenon, as the electron precipitation from the storm’s funnel produces gigantic, cyclone-shaped auroras.
• The space hurricane which was observed appeared like the northern lights or aurora borealis were rotating in an unorthodox spiral shape.
• They are made up of plasmas, consisting of extremely hot ionized gases that rotate at very high speeds.

How are space hurricanes formed?

Space hurricanes are formed because of plasma released by the sun as solar wind. These charged particle clouds travel through space and fuel magnetic storms as they interact with magnetic fields.

Are space hurricanes dangerous?

No, space hurricanes are not dangerous to human beings since they occur many miles above the surface of the earth, in the atmosphere. But, they do disturb other things. For instance, they can affect existing weather conditions, damage satellites that come in their path, and disrupt radio communications systems and GPS.

Who observed the space hurricane?

Four satellites passing over the North Pole detected the space hurricane. It was scientists at the Shandong University in China that observed this event which had occurred in 2014. It was only in 2021 that a retrospective analysis of the data led to the discovery of the occurrence. 

According to scientists, plasma and magnetic fields in the atmosphere of planets exist throughout the universe, so space hurricanes could be a widespread phenomenon.

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