GOLD Observations of the Thermospheric Response to the 10–12 May 2024 Gannon Superstorm.

After days of intense solar activity, active region AR3664 launched seven CMEs toward Earth producing an extreme G5 geomagnetic storm commencing at 17:05 UT on 10 May 2024. The storm impacted power grids, disrupted precision navigational systems used by farming equipment, and generated aurora seen around the globe. The storm produced remarkable effects on composition, temperature, and dynamics in the Earth's thermosphere that were observed by NASA's Global‐scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) mission and are reported here for the first time. We use synoptic disk images of ΣO/N2 and neutral temperature (at ∼160 km) measured by GOLD to directly link dynamics resulting from the storm with dramatic changes in thermospheric composition and temperature. We observe a heretofore unseen spatial morphology simultaneously in ΣO/N2, neutral temperature, and total electron content. Equator‐to‐pole temperature differences reach 400 K with high latitude peak neutral temperatures near 160 km exceeding 1400 K. Plain Language Summary: On Saturday 10 May 2024, the sun launched a wave of energized plasma toward the Earth. A large disturbance in the Earth's magnetic field associated with the solar wind resulted in an extreme geomagnetic storm. The storm impacted power grids, disrupted navigational systems used by farming equipment, and produced aurora seen around the globe. The storm produced remarkable effects in the Earth's upper atmosphere that were observed by NASA's Global‐scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) mission. In this letter, we use images measured by GOLD to directly link atmospheric dynamics resulting from the May 10–12 superstorm with dramatic changes in composition, temperature, and global circulation in the Earth's upper atmosphere. We observe previously unseen structure in the upper atmosphere associated with equator‐to‐pole temperature differences exceeding 400 K. Peak neutral temperatures near 160 km exceed 1400 K at high latitudes. Key Points: GOLD disk images of ΣO/N2 and neutral temperature link storm time dynamics with changes in thermospheric composition and temperatureWe observe a previously unseen spatial morphology in ΣO/N2, neutral temperature, and total electron contentPeak equator‐to‐pole temperature differences exceed 400 K but relax to pre‐storm conditions well before ΣO/N2 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]