- #421
Stavros Kiri
- 1,123
- 966
A) Aug. 16, 2025
" CO-ROTATING INTERACTION REGION: A co-rotating interaction region (CIR) is expected to hit Earth on Aug. 18th, squeezing our magnetic field between fast and slow streams of solar wind. Watch for a sudden jump in solar wind speed, density, and magnetic field (especially Bz). Minor G1-class geomagnetic storms and high-latitude auroras are possible if Bz turns south. (...)
DO GEOMAGNETIC STORMS AFFECT BLOOD PRESSURE? Solar activity might be doing more than sparking auroras. A new study in Communications Medicine suggests it could be nudging your blood pressure, too.
Researchers in China analyzed more than half a million blood pressure readings taken over six years in the cities of Qingdao and Weihai. They compared those measurements to the Ap index, a standard measure of geomagnetic activity. The result: Blood pressure rises and falls in rhythm with magnetic unrest.
Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure showed a bimodal pattern, with peaks in spring and autumn, mirroring the seasonal ups and downs of geomagnetic activity. In years when geomagnetic activity was strong, blood pressure peaked about one month after the Ap index. During quieter years, the lag stretched to two months. The data revealed matching cycles at 12, 6, and sometimes 3 months -- present in the Ap index but absent from other environmental factors.
"We found that blood pressure and geomagnetic activity share distinct seasonal patterns," says Quanqi Shi, one of the paper's co-authors from Shandong University. "There seems to be a genuine link between the two."
Importantly, the study found no similar multi-month patterns in air temperature or PM2.5, two well-known influences on blood pressure. While temperature correlated more strongly with blood pressure in a straightforward statistical sense, its effect lacked the 6- and 3-month cycles seen in geomagnetic data.
The authors stop short of saying that geomagnetic activity causes high blood pressure. Their data cannot prove cause and effect. Still, Shi and his colleagues are exploring how such a link might work.
"One possible mechanism involves the modulation of ultra-low frequency waves, specifically Schumann resonances (pictured right), which occur within Earth's magnetosphere. The fundamental frequency of Schumann resonances is approximately 7.8 Hz, with harmonics around 14.1, 20.3, 26.4, and 32.5 Hz. These fluctuations may interfere with human brain waves such as alpha (8–12 Hz), beta (12–30 Hz), and gamma (30–100 Hz)," Shi explains.
"The brain could then modulate neuroendocrine activity (for example, by altering the secretion of hormones such as vasopressin), which can gradually influence vascular tone and fluid balance. Such physiological adjustments may take weeks to accumulate, potentially explaining the observed 1-2 month delay."
"This is just a hypothesis," he stresses. "Further targeted studies are needed to confirm and clarify its potential mechanisms."
Want to learn more? The full paper may be found here. "
B) Aug. 18, 2025
" THE 'CIR' MIGHT HAVE ARRIVED: Solar wind data suggest that a co-rotating interaction region (CIR) might have hit Earth around 1200 UTC on Aug. 18th. The impact did not immediately produce a geomagnetic storm, however, minor storms may yet develop as Earth moves deeper into the CME-like sandwich of solar wind streams. HIgh-latitude sky watchers should remain alert for auroras on Aug. 19th. (...)
LAST CHANCE TO SEE TITAN'S SHADOW: Time is running out to witness a rare spectacle on Saturn. Since May, amateur astronomers have been spotting the shadow of Titan--Saturn's strangely Earthlike moon--as it glides across the ringed planet’s cloudtops.
"I am very happy to have recorded this very RARE event on Aug. 3rd," says Philip Smith of Manorville, NY.
The next opportunity comes on Aug. 19th, and it will be one of the final transits of the series. After the season ends in October, observers will have to wait until the 2040s for another chance.
Shadow transits like these occur only during Saturn's equinoxes, when sunlight strikes the planet’s rings and moons edge-on. Among Saturn's menagerie of 274 known satellites, Titan’s shadow stands out as immense, jet black, and visible even in modest backyard telescopes.
Gregory Shanos of Longboat Key, FL, has photographed six transits in the current cycle:
"Note how the shadow begins just above the rings in May and gets higher on the disk with each successive transit," he says. The Aug. 19th transit will be the highest yet, with a visibly elongated disk stretching toward Saturn's pole.
Every transit lasts hours. Titan’s shadow marches slowly across Saturn’s globe rather than flashing by in an instant, giving observers plenty of time to experiment with photo settings and soak in the view through the eyepiece.
The Aug. 19th event begins at 05:52 UT (01:52 am EDT) and ends about four hours later. Saturn will be high in the southern sky, shining at magnitude +0.6 in the constellation Pisces: sky map.
Enjoy the show--it won’t be back for nearly two decades. "
C) Aug. 19, 2025
" LONG-DURATION SOLAR FLARE: New sunspot 4188 exploded, producing an M1-class solar flare that lasted more than 3 hours. The long-duration event engulfed almost half of the sun's southeastern limb (movie) and probably hurled a significant CME into space. Stay tuned for updates. "
Latest Note: the Solar Wind is significantly increasing (based on last hours/minutes watch ...). See also added note (=part 3) at the end of next post (i.e. added part 3 there ...).
" CO-ROTATING INTERACTION REGION: A co-rotating interaction region (CIR) is expected to hit Earth on Aug. 18th, squeezing our magnetic field between fast and slow streams of solar wind. Watch for a sudden jump in solar wind speed, density, and magnetic field (especially Bz). Minor G1-class geomagnetic storms and high-latitude auroras are possible if Bz turns south. (...)
DO GEOMAGNETIC STORMS AFFECT BLOOD PRESSURE? Solar activity might be doing more than sparking auroras. A new study in Communications Medicine suggests it could be nudging your blood pressure, too.
Researchers in China analyzed more than half a million blood pressure readings taken over six years in the cities of Qingdao and Weihai. They compared those measurements to the Ap index, a standard measure of geomagnetic activity. The result: Blood pressure rises and falls in rhythm with magnetic unrest.
Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure showed a bimodal pattern, with peaks in spring and autumn, mirroring the seasonal ups and downs of geomagnetic activity. In years when geomagnetic activity was strong, blood pressure peaked about one month after the Ap index. During quieter years, the lag stretched to two months. The data revealed matching cycles at 12, 6, and sometimes 3 months -- present in the Ap index but absent from other environmental factors.
"We found that blood pressure and geomagnetic activity share distinct seasonal patterns," says Quanqi Shi, one of the paper's co-authors from Shandong University. "There seems to be a genuine link between the two."
Importantly, the study found no similar multi-month patterns in air temperature or PM2.5, two well-known influences on blood pressure. While temperature correlated more strongly with blood pressure in a straightforward statistical sense, its effect lacked the 6- and 3-month cycles seen in geomagnetic data.
"One possible mechanism involves the modulation of ultra-low frequency waves, specifically Schumann resonances (pictured right), which occur within Earth's magnetosphere. The fundamental frequency of Schumann resonances is approximately 7.8 Hz, with harmonics around 14.1, 20.3, 26.4, and 32.5 Hz. These fluctuations may interfere with human brain waves such as alpha (8–12 Hz), beta (12–30 Hz), and gamma (30–100 Hz)," Shi explains.
"The brain could then modulate neuroendocrine activity (for example, by altering the secretion of hormones such as vasopressin), which can gradually influence vascular tone and fluid balance. Such physiological adjustments may take weeks to accumulate, potentially explaining the observed 1-2 month delay."
"This is just a hypothesis," he stresses. "Further targeted studies are needed to confirm and clarify its potential mechanisms."
Want to learn more? The full paper may be found here. "
B) Aug. 18, 2025
" THE 'CIR' MIGHT HAVE ARRIVED: Solar wind data suggest that a co-rotating interaction region (CIR) might have hit Earth around 1200 UTC on Aug. 18th. The impact did not immediately produce a geomagnetic storm, however, minor storms may yet develop as Earth moves deeper into the CME-like sandwich of solar wind streams. HIgh-latitude sky watchers should remain alert for auroras on Aug. 19th. (...)
LAST CHANCE TO SEE TITAN'S SHADOW: Time is running out to witness a rare spectacle on Saturn. Since May, amateur astronomers have been spotting the shadow of Titan--Saturn's strangely Earthlike moon--as it glides across the ringed planet’s cloudtops.
"I am very happy to have recorded this very RARE event on Aug. 3rd," says Philip Smith of Manorville, NY.
The next opportunity comes on Aug. 19th, and it will be one of the final transits of the series. After the season ends in October, observers will have to wait until the 2040s for another chance.
Shadow transits like these occur only during Saturn's equinoxes, when sunlight strikes the planet’s rings and moons edge-on. Among Saturn's menagerie of 274 known satellites, Titan’s shadow stands out as immense, jet black, and visible even in modest backyard telescopes.
Gregory Shanos of Longboat Key, FL, has photographed six transits in the current cycle:
"Note how the shadow begins just above the rings in May and gets higher on the disk with each successive transit," he says. The Aug. 19th transit will be the highest yet, with a visibly elongated disk stretching toward Saturn's pole.
Every transit lasts hours. Titan’s shadow marches slowly across Saturn’s globe rather than flashing by in an instant, giving observers plenty of time to experiment with photo settings and soak in the view through the eyepiece.
The Aug. 19th event begins at 05:52 UT (01:52 am EDT) and ends about four hours later. Saturn will be high in the southern sky, shining at magnitude +0.6 in the constellation Pisces: sky map.
Enjoy the show--it won’t be back for nearly two decades. "
C) Aug. 19, 2025
" LONG-DURATION SOLAR FLARE: New sunspot 4188 exploded, producing an M1-class solar flare that lasted more than 3 hours. The long-duration event engulfed almost half of the sun's southeastern limb (movie) and probably hurled a significant CME into space. Stay tuned for updates. "
Latest Note: the Solar Wind is significantly increasing (based on last hours/minutes watch ...). See also added note (=part 3) at the end of next post (i.e. added part 3 there ...).
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