A massive solar storm is expected to hit Earth today, potentially affecting power grids and producing an aurora in northern latitudes. An alert published by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) states that earthlings should be prepared for “weak power grid fluctuations” and satellite “orientation irregularities.”
The storm has been categorized as G2, which means it is pretty strong. It is said to last for the whole day. “Aurora is possible through [the] 11th across much of Scotland, although cloud amounts are increasing, meaning sightings are unlikely”, the Met Office said, reports Sky.
Is Earth ready for a superstorm?
“There is a slight chance of aurora reaching the far north of England and Northern Ireland tonight, but cloud breaks and therefore sightings are more likely in Northern Ireland.” While this strong is comparatively weak, Earth is not ready for the height of a superstorm.
“A Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) involves the emission of electrically charged matter and accompanying magnetic field into space. When it hits the earth, it interacts with the earth’s magnetic field and produces Geomagnetically Induced Currents (GIC) on the crust,” said Dr. Sangeetha Abdu Jyothi, from the University of California, Irvine and VMware Research.
“In today’s long-haul Internet cables, the optical fibre is immune to GIC. But these cables also have electrically powered repeaters at ~100 km intervals that are susceptible to damages.”
Not the last storm definitely
Previously, the Sun had an outburst that released solar flares and coronal mass in the solar system. A sunspot named AR2824 ejected a series of many solar flares on May 22, which is “unlike anything we’ve seen in years,” as per astronomer Tony Philips from SpaceWeather.com.
Solar flares are bursts of electromagnetic energy at different wavelengths that can reach Earth in a few minutes. The burst was so energetic that a lot of noise was caught on radio telescopes. The Sun is currently in its solar cycle where the activity increases and will peak in the middle of the decade. It means that what we are witnessing right now might just be a glimpse of what’s coming. The flares and storms could be stronger in the coming years.
