An interplanetary shock wave just hit Earth's magnetic field on April 19th 2018 around 23:50 UT. When the shock arrived, the density of the solar wind flowing around our planet abruptly quadrupled. Moreover, magnetic fields in the solar wind near Earth have since intensified 10-fold. These developments set the stage for possible geomagnetic storms in the hours ahead. "The auroras are brightening after midnight on April 20th with some rays and beams, and good color," says Evans.
What is an interplanetary shock wave? It is a supersonic disturbance in the gaseous material of the solar wind. These waves are frequently delivered by coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Indeed, this one might have been a minor CME that left the sun unrecognized earlier this week. Or it might be an unusually sharp co-rotating interaction region (CIR). CIRs are transition zones between slow- and fast-moving streams of solar wind. They contain plasma density gradients that often do a good job of sparking auroras.
On the same day the Iwo-yama volcano also known as Mount Io and Mount Ioyama, located on the Ebino Highland and a part of Kirishimayama volcano group in Japan's Kyushu, erupted at 06:39 UTC (15:39 JST) for the first time since 1768. The volcano ejected ash high into the air, forcing the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) to raise the alert level from 2 to 3 (of 5), restricting access to the volcano. Today marks the first time JMA has raised the alert level to 3 for this volcano. The agency said that it confirmed the scattering of volcanic rocks around the crater and added that it is possible that the volcanic activity will further increase.
Residents and tourists are cautioned against falling rocks within 3 km (1.8 km) and pyroclastic flows within 2 km (1.2 miles) from the crater. In addition, the agency called for people to be on guard over the possibility of mudslides after any rainfall, depending on how much ash fell from the volcano.
The last time this volcano erupted was in 1768, exactly 250 years ago, according to the JMA's Fukuoka Regional Headquarters. JMA raised the alert level to 1 on February 28, 2016, following an increase in shallow volcanic earthquakes. The alert was raised to 2 on February 20, 2018.
This is just the latest in a series of volcanic eruptions in the Kirishima mountain range. Mount Shinmoedake erupted in October 2017 for the first time in six years and has been active since with occasional eruptions.
Researchers believe Planet X will bring a Massive Wave of Radiation this October 2018. A burst like the earth has never seen before
