Magnetic Storm

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Magnetic Storm

</dt>
A worldwide disturbance of the earth's magnetic field. See M-region. </dd>
Magnetic storms are frequently characterized by a sudden onset, in which the magnetic field undergoes marked changes in the course of an hour or less, followed by a very gradual return to normality, which may take several days. Magnetic storms are caused by solar disturbances, though the exact nature of the link between the solar and terrestrial disturbances is not understood. They are more frequent during years of high sunspot number. Sometimes a magnetic storm can be linked to a particular solar disturbance. In these cases, the time between solar flare and onset of the magnetic storm is about 1 or 2 days, suggesting that the disturbance is carried to the earth by a cloud of particles thrown out by the sun.
When these disturbances are observable only in the auroral zones, they may be termed polar magnetic storms. </dd>

References

This article is based on NASA's Dictionary of Technical Terms for Aerospace Use