Earth could be hit today by insane 600,000 mile-wide solar eruption that triggers extreme geomagnetic storm
The Earth could be hit today by an insane 600,000 mile-wide solar eruption that will trigger an extreme geomagnetic storm.
Experts are warning people that our planet is expected to be hit by the eruption sometime today (May 16).
The enormous solar eruption began on the sun’s northern hemisphere earlier in the week and the explosion that followed has stretched almost 600,000 mile.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, aurora chaser Vincent Ledvina said that the eruption was reminiscent of a ‘bird-wing’ or ‘angel-wing event’.
Advert
So, what actually is a geomagnetic storm and how does that impact the Earth?
This type of storm is a disturbance within our planet’s magnetic field and is caused by solar wind emitted from the sun.
This happens when charged particles are released from the sun and hit our magnetic shield and as as a result, can impact earthbound infrastructure such as power grids, satellites and GPS.
However, it’s not all bad because these storms can also create stunning auroras.
When do scientists predict the storm might hit Earth?
Over on X, Dr Tamitha Sjov said that she was concerned that the 'Earth-facing side of our Sun has been taking a bit of a nap recently' but 'but finally did something noteworthy'.
Sharing NASA's video, the space weather physicist added: "Check out this gorgeous 'bird wing' filament eruption today. Thus far, it looks like it will mostly miss us, but we could get the wake of the structure passing by Earth sometime 16 May."
Fellow solar physicist Halo CME also asked the question on X: "Is the Sun waking up again?"
They noted that it was 'the first X-class flare since March 28, 2025,' and added: "This is associated with a CME that drives a weak shock wave responsible for a minor SEP event."
What is a CME?
A coronal mass ejection (CME) is a burst of solar material and magnetic fields that gets released from the eruption.
While most of the CME is moving away from Earth, scientists predict that a portion could graze our planet on May 16, 2025.
Jake Foster, astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, told MailOnline: "Loops of hot plasma can sprout up from the Sun’s surface, following along its magnetic field lines, and occasionally they break free and shoot off into space at high speeds."
"These eruptions are huge collections of high energy solar particles, so when they hit the Earth’s atmosphere they can cause a few different effects."