presence be felt by unleashing aseriesofmassivesolar flares. The resultingauroraswere visible across the Northern Hemisphere and even parts of the Southern Hemisphere, treating stargazers to a rare and breathtaking spectacle.
The first solar flare struck Earth at 9:23 pm EDT on May 10, 2024. It was followed by at least four more flares. They slammed into our planet's outer atmosphereone by one until the early hours of May 13, 2024. Notably, most of these flares wereclassified as X-class. This is the most powerful type ofsurfaceexplosionthe Sun can produce.
The solar flares all originated from a sunspot region named AR3664 (Credit: NASA.gov/ Public Domain)
The flares all originated from a sunspot region named AR3664. The massive area, which is 15 times wider than Earth, is home to 58 individual sunspots. AR3664 is so large that it could be seen with eclipse glasses during the total solar eclipse in April 2024.
The radiation from the solar flares is blocked by Earth’s atmosphere and poses no danger to humans or animals. However, the coronal mass ejections (CME) — clouds of protons and other charged particles that follow the flares within about 20 minutes — can temporarily disrupt our satellite systems, GPS tracking devices, and power grids.
A NASA satellite recorded the Sun releasing a powerful solar flare on May 10, 2024 (Credit: NASA/ Solar Dynamics Observatory/ Public Domain)
However, the brief interruptions are well worth it. As the electrically charged CMEs enter our atmosphere, they collide with gases like oxygen and nitrogen to create breathtaking auroras. These spectacular light displays typically only occur near the Northern and Southern Hemisphere poles, where the Earth's magnetic field is strongest.
But the recent solar storms were unusually strong, producing auroras that could be seen across the US. The stunninglight displays were also visible in Canada, Europe, and Northern China. In the Southern Hemisphere, they could be seen in Chile, Argentina, New Zealand, and Australia.
Orcas, also known as "killer whales" (although they are not whales), are the largest members of the dolphin family. Orcas are very social and emotional animals. These animals have large, complex brains that are structured differently from ours. Orcas have the second largest brain, after sperm whales, in the animal kingdom. The most intelligent animals, such as cetaceans (whales, dolphins), elephants and primates, have the largest brains.
Orcas hunt in pods (groups) of up to 40 individuals. They are known for their coordinated attacks on marine (sea) animals. But the orcas rarely pose a threat to humans.
However, since 2020, groups of orcas have intentionally collided with (hit) about 700 boats off the coasts of Spain, Portugal, France, and Morocco. The impacts caused at least seven vessels to sink. Experts now believe that this unusual behavior is the result of bored teenage orcas seeking entertainment (fun).
The team, led by Alex Zerbini, came to this conclusion after observing the behavior of a pod of about 15 juvenile (teenage) orcas. They found that the mammals approached the boats slowly. Once close, the orcas appeared to simply want to nudge (slowly push) their noses or heads against the rudder. However, these young orcas measure between 9 and 14 feet (2.7 and 4.2 meters) in length. So, even a gentle touch was enough to damage, or sometimes destroy, the rudders (used to steer the boat).
“There’s nothing in the behavior of the animals that suggests that they’re being aggressive (trying to damage the boat),” Zerbini told The Washington Post. “As they play with the rudder, they don’t understand that they can damage the rudder and that damaging the rudder will affect human beings. It’s more playful than intentional.”
The researchers revealed their findings on May 24, 2024. They attribute the teenage orcas' boredom to the increase in population of their primary (usual or main) food source — the bluefin tuna (a large fish). In the past decades (a decade is ten years), when there was a shortage, the mammals spent their entire day looking for the fish. However, now, with plenty of food, they have a lot more time on their hands.
Zerbini and his team are still puzzled about what initially (first) drew the young orcas to the rudder. They speculate (think) the behavior may have been started by a curious individual attracted to the bubbles around the moving vessel. This action may have inspired the others to do the same.
To prevent these encounters, the scientists suggest avoiding orcas when possible. Making banging sounds around the boat may also keep the animals away. Boat owners could replace the smooth rudder surface with bumpy materials. This would make it less fun to "play" with.
“We don’t want to see more boats being sunk, and we don’t want to see people in distress,” Zerbini said. “But we also don’t want to see the animals being hurt. And we have to remember that this is their habitat, and we’re in the way.”
