An unprecedented solar storm, the most powerful in over two decades, has impacted Earth’s atmosphere, raising concerns about potential disruptions to power grids and satellite communications. Additionally, it has created breathtaking celestial displays in various regions around the globe.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a rare warning about the solar storm, which arrived on Earth around 16:00 GMT on Friday, earlier than expected.
Initially identified as a series of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) – characterized by the expulsion of plasma and magnetic fields from the sun – the NOAA later upgraded it to an “extreme” geomagnetic storm.
This event marks the first solar storm since the Halloween storms of October 2003, which resulted in power outages in Sweden and infrastructure damage in South Africa.
Further solar eruptions are anticipated in the days ahead, possibly extending into the following week, as per NOAA forecasts.
The NOAA has advised power plant operators and spacecraft personnel to take necessary precautions in light of the situation.
Geomagnetic storms can induce currents in long wires, such as power lines, potentially leading to blackouts. Moreover, long pipelines may also face electrification issues.
While spacecraft are vulnerable to high radiation levels, Earth’s atmosphere acts as a shield against this threat.
After a significant peak, the NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center warned that users of high-frequency radio signals might experience signal disruptions on the sunlit side of Earth.
Unlike solar flares, which reach Earth at the speed of light, CMEs travel at a more consistent pace, averaging 800km (500 miles) per second.
These CMEs originated from a massive sunspot cluster that dwarfs Earth in size, measuring 17 times wider.
Even pigeons and other species that have internal biological…
Article from www.aljazeera.com