A rare solar storm on April 24, 2023, caused a significant disruption in Earth’s magnetic field, resulting in the formation of “wings” that connected our planet to the part of the Sun from which the storm erupted. The event opened up a temporary two-way highway between the Sun and Earth, allowing charged particles to flow in both directions.
Researchers explain that this phenomenon occurs when the solar wind moves at a speed exceeding the Alfvén speed, causing a bow shock to disappear and the Earth’s magnetosphere to lose its typical shape. In this case, an enormous coronal mass ejection (CME) caused the Alfvén wings to form, allowing Earth’s plasma to be lost to the Sun.
For about two hours, the usual one-way flow of particles from the Sun to Earth was reversed, with particles trapped by Earth’s magnetism suddenly having a direct path to the Sun. NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft detected the rain of charged particles as they collided with the Sun’s atmosphere.
While this phenomenon is rare in our corner of the Solar System, Alfvén wings are actually common elsewhere in the universe. In gas giants like Jupiter, these magnetic wings allow for charged particles to reach the planet from its moons, producing stunning ultraviolet auroras.
Source: https://www.iflscience.com/massive-solar-storm-opens-rare-2-hour-magnetic-highway-between-sun-and-earth-75592