A strange event happened during the cyclone in mid-November: European Space Agency (ESA) Swarm satellites discovered a high-energy proton peak that spiked at two poles of the Earth.
It is worth mentioning that this discovery does not come from magnetic measurement devices, but from star tracking devices. This is the first time in history that Swarm has recorded this type of data.
On November 12, Swarm's magnetic fields detected magnetic fluctuations 10 times stronger than normal. But what is more surprising is that the star tracker recorded a high-energy proton flow increasing up to 300 times around the Earth's poles during the earth storm from November 11-13, 2025.
Swarm - consisting of 3 satellites launched in 2013 - operating at an altitude of 400-500km, with the main task of studying the Earth's "invisible shield", helping to protect the planet from cosmic radiation and the Sun's wind.
Star tracker is an optical device that locates satellites by determining their relative position compared to the stars. But when exposed to high-energy protons (over 100 MeV), the device's sensor appears white - often considered image interference. However, with the September cyclone, these white spots became evidence that the amount of protons was overflowing to the poles.
The earthquake since mid-November was caused by three consecutive CME sunroof launches within 48 hours - a rare situation. They create a phenomenon of proton aurora with blurred, widespread light circles appearing at lower latitudes than normal.
While the aurora is a beautiful scene, high-energy radiation from the Sun can disrupt the power grid, damage satellite electronic devices and endanger astronauts.
In fact, storms since November have caused 30-60 minutes of lost radio signals in Europe, Africa and Asia.
Under normal conditions, the Earth's magnetic field pushes most of the electricity-carrying particles from the Sun away. But in strong geometeorological storms, this barrier is compressed and disrupted, allowing protons to penetrate deep into the atmospheric layer, even being stuck at the poles - as Swarm observed.
Normally, high-energy protons only clander through the southern Atlantic region where the weakest magnet on the planet. But thekm has opened its doors, allowing protons to sweep to both ends of the Earth.
expert Enkelejda Qamili of ESA emphasized: This is a sign that low-orbit satellites could become an effective sensor for solar radiation events. But it is also important to highlight the major risks to astronauts, spacecraft and communications.
Typhoons from November have revealed potential risks from increased solar activity as the solar cycle approaches its peak. And thanks to Swarm, scientists for the first time see a picture of a proton "exploding" on the two poles, opening up a new direction for research on space weather - an increasingly important field in the world that depends on satellites today.
