#WashingtonPost
February 12, 2022 A #SolarStorm caused #Earth’s #atmosphere to inflate, or puff out.
Think of Earth’s atmosphere like a bicycle tire. When the first solar storm hit, its #magnetic
field drove currents that caused Earth’s upper atmosphere and particles to move in one direction. When the second surprise solar storm hit, it was oriented in such a way as to cause the motion of Earth’s upper atmosphere to reverse direction. The friction and energy of the two opposing forces released heat in quantities more than models had anticipated https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2022/02/12/spacex-starlink-explainer-storm-sun/