A massive solar storm is heading toward Earth, supercharging the auroras and bringing potential disruptions to satellites and power grids as early as Friday night, US officials say.
Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) — large ejections of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun — are forecast to arrive late Friday to early Saturday US time, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center said.
The new storm, which is expected to linger through the weekend, comes as the Sun nears the top of an 11-year cycle that brings increased activity.
“We’ve notified all of our infrastructure operators that we coordinate with, like satellite operators, communications people … and of course, the power grid here in North America,” space meteorologist Shawn Dahl told reporters.
The US Federal Aviation Administration, however, said Friday in a social media post that “we do not expect significant impacts to the national airspace system due to the potential geomagnetic storm.”
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Unlike solar flares, which travel at the speed of light and reach Earth in about eight minutes, CMEs travel at a relatively slower pace, with officials putting the current average at 800 kilometers (500 miles) per second .
There are at least seven CMEs in transit, originating from a sunspot cluster 16 times wider than our planet. Forecasters expect to have a better idea of ​​how influential it will be when it is about a million miles away.
Fluctuating magnetic fields associated with geomagnetic storms induce currents in long cables, including power lines, which can lead to blackouts.
In October 2003, geomagnetic storms classified as “extreme” led to blackouts in Sweden and destroyed power transformers in South Africa. Effects are also possible on high frequency radio communications, GPS, spacecraft and satellites.
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Sunshine
They could also bring auroras — also known as the “Northern Lights” or “Southern Lights,” depending on the hemisphere — to night skies where such phenomena are not normally visible. In the United States, this could be as far south as Northern California and Alabama.
NOAA’s Brent Gordon encouraged the public to try capturing the night sky with their cell phone cameras even if they can’t see auroras with the naked eye.
“Just step out your back door and take a picture with the newest cell phones and you’ll be surprised what you see in that picture versus what you see with your eyes.”
Officials said people should have their normal backup plans for power outages, such as flashlights, batteries and weather radios on hand.
The most powerful geomagnetic storm in recorded history, known as the Carrington Event, occurred in September 1859, named after British astronomer Richard Carrington.
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Excessive currents on telegraph lines at the time electrocuted technicians and even set some telegraph equipment on fire.
Source: AFP