A significant solar eruption on Friday has triggered a geomagnetic storm in Earth’s atmosphere, marking the first “severe” classification since 2003. This solar activity may disrupt electrical grids, communication systems, and navigation services, with potential impacts lingering throughout the weekend.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which monitors space weather, issued an unusual alert for the storm on Thursday, its first such warning in 19 years, and upgraded it to a higher alert on Friday. This response came after NOAA began monitoring several solar eruptions on Wednesday, with at least five directed towards Earth, the first of which reached our atmosphere by Friday.
According to Joe Llama, an astronomer at Lowell Observatory, high-frequency radio-based communications are most likely to be affected. This means that mobile phones and car radios, which rely on lower frequency radio waves, are unlikely to be disrupted. However, power outages are a possible consequence of the storm.
The most significant recorded solar storm occurred in 1859, known as the Carrington Event. It lasted nearly a week, causing auroras that reached as far as Hawaii and Central America and impacted telegraph lines over hundreds of thousands of miles.
Geomagnetic storms, caused by coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from the sun, disrupt Earth’s magnetic field. NOAA categorizes these storms on a “G” scale from 1 to 5, with G5 being extreme. The current storm is rated as G4, “severe,” indicating potential for widespread power disruptions and satellite issues.
Unlike hurricane warnings, NOAA’s space weather alerts are not directed at the public but at agencies and companies managing critical infrastructure, providing them time to implement protective measures to mitigate any impacts.
NOAA officials noted that the sunspot group causing the current storm is the largest observed in this solar cycle, exceeding initial expectations for this period. With the solar activity nearing its peak in the 11-year cycle, more flares and storms are anticipated in the coming weeks. While it’s challenging to predict precise outcomes, the potential for another significant bout of solar activity remains as new sunspots may soon appear on the sun’s left side.
