Earth is being struck with strong geomagnetic storm activity after a coronal mass ejection was blurted out by the Sun over the past weekend. It’s a big one, but authorities say the risk to the public is minimal. It could also be a great opportunity to spot some aurora if you live along the appropriate latitude.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center
On March 24, when the wave of activity first hit, the NOAA
This level of solar activity might cause some disruption for high-frequency radio signals used by aviation, maritime, and military communications, although most low-frequency radio signals won’t be impacted. While there is a “slight risk” for some power cuts in the power grid, any disruptions are expected to be pretty short-term.
The good news is that intense solar activity can increase the chances of seeing aurora in the night sky. As per the
The UK’s Met Office
Northern lights and southern lights are the result of charged high energy particles from the solar winds clashing with gas molecules in the magnetic field of the Earth, causing them to emit colorful swirls of light.
The upper atmosphere of the Sun is constantly emitting solar wind. Flares occur
There’s no need to panic this time around. That said, geomagnetic solar storms do have the potential to cause catastrophic damage.
The most powerful known flare, known as the Carrington Event, unfolded in 1859. Along with causing extremely bright auroras to beam across the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, major disruptions to the electromagnetic field caused telegraph systems to crash in many parts of the world. Some telegraph stations even burst into flames.
In today’s world of satellite communications and prolific electrical systems, a solar storm of this size
A small taste of this potential disaster came in 1989 when extreme solar storms struck Earth,
Another prominent lesson came during the Cold War when a solar storm almost led Earth
Scientists believe that the Earth is getting close to solar maximum, set to lead to an increase in such solar activity. The question is: will we be ready for another massive solar flare? The