A powerful three-day solar storm is expected to hit Earth today and could cause “power grid fluctuations”, experts have warned.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) noted that a geomagnetic storm, a major disturbance in Earth’s magnetosphere, could disrupt satellite orbits, cause radio outages and push incredible northern lights displays as far south as New York.
The cause of the upcoming storm is an active sunspot that has unleashed at least 18 flares this week.
This is the same area that spewed out a strong stream of plasmacalled coronal mass ejections (CMEs), earlier this month that disrupted communications around the world.
US government space weather experts are warning that a powerful, three-day solar storm to hit Earth today – following a solar flare that launched coronal mass ejections (CMEs) towards Earth – may cause “power grid fluctuations”.
The sunspot completed a full rotation on the sun and turned back toward Earth for what appeared to be several days of activity.
The event is just one of the harbingers of strong solar weather to come when the Sun reaches its “solar maximum”, astrophysicists told DailyMail.com, the most energetic point in its repeating 11-year solar cycle next summer in July 2025.
Category G2, or “moderate,” solar storms are expected Friday and Saturday after today’s milder events, according to NOAA, which operates the U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center.
The “impact area” is likely to extend from the Earth’s poles to 55 degrees of “geomagnetic latitude” — an area that includes northern parts of Idaho, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin and Vermont.
While this exposes these areas of the continental US to some level of risk of voltage problems in local power systems and RF interference, it will also have benefits.
The beautiful aerial phenomenon known as the aurora borealis, or aurora borealis, will also be visible in these areas depending on local cloud conditions.
“The aurora can be seen as low as New York to Wisconsin to Washington state,” NOAA’s latest space weather advisory said.
Friday and Saturday’s upcoming solar storm, produced by the X1.4 CME solar flare (pictured top left center) ejected by Sunspot AR3697 yesterday. The CME flare has already caused “strong radio blackouts” in the mid-Atlantic region, according to EarthSky
Sunspot AR3664, now renamed AR3697, has reached a size that now rivals the sunspot responsible for the infamous Carrington event of 1895, which ignited telegraph wires and shut down international communications.
According to meteorologist Bob Henson, sky watchers living in these areas may want to snap a few pictures even if they can’t see this charged plasma light show in Earth’s upper magnetosphere, especially if they have a newer iPhone model.
“Some cameras (including newer iPhones) are sensitive enough to provide stunning auroras, even when the aurora is almost or completely invisible to the naked eye,” Henson posted to X’s social media site earlier this month.
Although this weekend’s solar storm is expected to be less intense than ‘extreme (G5) geomagnetic conditions” more of the powerful CMEs that hit Earth from May 10-13 can be expected as the Sun approaches the most turbulent phase of its cycle.
“We could easily get much bigger storms in the next year or two,” Dr Jonathan McDowell of the Smithsonian and Harvard’s Center for Astrophysics told DailyMail.com earlier this month.
Sunspot AR3664, now renamed AR3697, is a disturbance on the Sun’s surface that was responsible for May’s largest G5 solar storm and is larger than the sunspot that caused the infamous Carrington event of 1859.
The Carrington storm ignited telegraph wires, disrupted communications around the world, and even disrupted ships’ compasses—a history that could repeat itself and wreak havoc on modern technology if Earth faces a direct hit from these larger solar storms.
The sunspot completed a full rotation on the sun and turned back toward Earth for several more active days.
“It’s definitely a scary time for satellite operators,” said Dr. McDowell.
In recent years, large geomagnetic storms have also been shown to be capable of destroying satellites by hitting other objects in space.
One geomagnetic storm in 2022, the last major storm before this May, destroyed up to 40 Starlink satellites worth more than $50 million, according to the company.
Friday and Saturday’s upcoming solar storm, produced by the X1.4 CME solar flare ejected by Sunspot AR3697 yesterday, has already caused “strong radio outages” over the mid-Atlantic region, according to EarthSky.
WHAT IS THE SOLAR CYCLE?
The sun is a huge ball of electrically charged hot gas that moves and creates a strong magnetic field.
This magnetic field goes through a cycle called the solar cycle.
About every 11 years, the Sun’s magnetic field completely reverses, meaning the Sun’s north and south poles switch places.
The solar cycle affects activity on the Sun’s surface, such as sunspots, which are caused by the Sun’s magnetic fields.
Every 11 years, the Sun’s magnetic field reverses, meaning the Sun’s north and south poles switch. The solar cycle affects activity on the Sun’s surface and increases the number of sunspots during stronger (2001) phases than weaker (1996/2006) phases
One way to track the solar cycle is to count the number of sunspots.
The beginning of the solar cycle is solar minimum, or when the Sun has the fewest sunspots. Over time, solar activity – and the number of sunspots – increases.
The middle of the solar cycle is solar maximum, or when the Sun has the most sunspots.
As the cycle ends, it fades back to solar minimum and then a new cycle begins.
Giant eruptions on the Sun, such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections, also increase during the solar cycle.
These eruptions send powerful bursts of energy and material into space that can affect Earth.
For example, eruptions can cause lights in the sky, called auroras, or affect radio communications and power grids on Earth.