Earth to be blasted by Geomagnetic solar storm today that could take out power grids
As we soak up the last bits of summer before the clocks go back, autumn is fast approaching.
Which means pumpkin spice lattes, horror movies, and spooky season are just around the corner.
But for meteorologists, it's a different kind of day as a chunk of sun-stuff is heading our way.
This solar storm, also known as a geomagnetic storm, occurs when a mix of solar materials is released from the Sun and hits the Earth’s magnetic field. This is called a coronal mass ejection (CME).
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NOAA and NASA space experts have been on high alert since earlier this year due to heightened solar activity.
This G1 solar storm began forming on Sunday just gone, after a sunspot dark, cooler areas on the Sun’s surface. Now, tonnes of plasma are set to be released.
And the science experts expect it to arrive by midday today (September 25).
Sunspot AR3835 has calmed down since its initial outburst, but it still sent a wave of solar plasma racing toward us at 650,000 miles per hour.
Scientists are most surprised by not its intensity, but the fact this event took place at all.
Moreover, the US NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center has issued an aurora alert with a potential for a G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm.
The Center also anticipates a Geomagnetic K-index of five - anything above seven is considered 'severe'.
In saying that, even though this storm isn’t the strongest and will only slightly impact our planet’s magnetic shield, it may interfere with our power grids, potentially causing blackouts.
Not to mention, it could also disrupt satellites and our GPS communications.
Because the autumn equinox just occurred on Sunday, there’s a heightened chance for geomagnetic storms. So, timing is everything.
According to the experts, the Sun is currently generating solar winds at 490 km/s which suggests that a minor geomagnetic storm is ‘likely’.
And while we're safe on Earth, astronauts roaming around the atmosphere are subjected to more radiation.
Away from the disruptions however, the bright side is that solar storms can also create beautiful displays of the northern lights. This is similar to the aurora borealis we observed in the UK back in May.