An unusually strong solar storm is hurtling towards Earth, bringing enough force to disrupt some communications and generate dazzling aurora borealis.
With the storm’s impending arrival, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued an unusual storm watch Thursday, warning of possible damage if a solar eruption reaches Earth as early as Friday evening.
But before you prepare for any emergencies, most of the people at risk of enduring the brunt of the storm are power plant operators and those aboard spacecraft. In fact, if you live anywhere in the northern United States, tonight may be a good time to get out and see the Northern Lights, NOAA officials said at a press conference Friday.
“This is a very rare event,” Sean Dahl, a forecaster and coordinator at NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, said Friday. “We haven’t seen this in a long time.”
Here’s what you need to know about solar storms.
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Solar flare causes coronal mass ejection towards Earth
Since Wednesday, NOAA has been tracking explosive bursts of radiation, known as solar flares, from sunspots as wide as 16 times the width of Earth.
The solar flare has triggered at least five coronal mass ejections (clouds of plasma and charged particles) that are now headed toward Earth at a breakneck pace, according to Brent Gordon, director of Space Services at the Space Weather Prediction Center. It is said to be progressing.
By shooting solar particles and electromagnetic radiation towards Earth, coronal mass ejections create geometric storms towards Earth. Such electromagnetic activity will only increase as the sun continues to reach the climax of its 11-year solar cycle, a height NASA expects to reach in 2025.
Forecasters use a five-point scale to measure geometric storms. According to NOAA, at G4, this solar storm is one level away from being the most intense solar storm imaginable. The observation of a severe (G4) geomagnetic storm, announced by the agency on Thursday, is the first since 2005.
Last December, a powerful burst of energy created the largest solar flare detected by NASA since 2017.
NASA says a devastating solar storm in 1989 caused a 12-hour power outage across Quebec, plunging millions of Canadians into darkness and closing schools and businesses. The Carrington event, the most intense solar storm on record, occurred in 1859, causing a fire in a telegraph station and disrupting the transmission of messages.
The last G4-level solar storm hit Earth in March, one of only three such severe storms observed since 2019, according to NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center. It is. The last time Earth was hit by a G5 storm was in October 2003, when power outages were reported in Sweden and transformers were damaged in South Africa, NOAA officials announced Friday.
Solar storms can disrupt satellites and power grids
Don’t expect anything like that this time.
“We don’t expect that,” Dahl said Friday.
But solar storms of this magnitude can disrupt infrastructure, even in remote areas. Everything including communications, power grids, radio and satellite operations are under threat from the impending storm, which can cause power outages and disrupt navigation systems.
Dahl said NOAA officials have seen no evidence in the past that solar storms can disrupt cell phone service.
Dahl said NOAA has alerted satellite, power grid and pipeline operators to be prepared.
Meanwhile, NASA’s spacecraft, orbiting about 1 million miles from Earth, will help forecasters measure the solar wind and understand its precise timing and threats.
But rest assured that no matter what happens, you and others are safe and protected by the Earth’s magnetic field.
How to see the Northern Lights this weekend
The solar storm is expected to cause the aurora borealis, a famous display of natural light better known as the aurora borealis.
From Friday through Sunday, people in the northern half of the United States (possibly as far south as Alabama and Northern California) will have a chance to catch a glimpse of some of the aurora borealis amid the effects of a solar storm, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). That’s what it means.
According to NOAA, if the weather is clear, the best aurora borealis can usually be seen within an hour or two after midnight.
In upcoming solar storms, particles flowing from the Sun will get caught up in Earth’s magnetic field and interact with molecules of atmospheric gases to form colorful auroras. Earth’s magnetic field redirects particles toward the poles through a process that creates the astonishing displays of rays, spirals, and flickers that have fascinated humanity for thousands of years.
NOAA also maintains the Aurora Dashboard, which provides short-term forecasts for the Northern Lights.
Contributor: Doyle Rice, USA TODAY
Eric Lagatta covers the latest and trending news for USA TODAY. Please contact elagatta@gannett.com.
