The sun has been very active recently, with multiple explosions releasing bursts of plasma from the sun’s corona toward Earth. While this may sound alarming, the resulting solar storm will likely only produce a beautiful aurora borealis in the northern United States and Europe, according to solar physicists and satellite observations.
The impact of solar flares on Earth is nearly immediate, with electromagnetic radiation arriving in about eight minutes, followed by the CMEs two to three days later. The resulting geomagnetic activity can disrupt radio communications and GPS navigation, but it is not expected to cause any significant technological disruptions this time.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center has forecasted at least a G2 geomagnetic storm, which is considered moderate, but there is a possibility it could escalate to a G3 storm, causing intermittent disruption of satellite navigation, radio communications, and potentially visible northern lights as far south as Illinois and Oregon.
The strongest explosion, detected by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory satellite, fell just short of category X, the strongest category on the solar flare scale, and caused shortwave radio communications to be disrupted. It is now expected to combine with a few other CMEs and produce a G3 geomagnetic storm on Earth.
The University of Alaska’s aurora forecast predicts that the northern lights will be overhead as far south as Minneapolis and Milwaukee, and potentially visible low on the horizon even farther south. Earlier this month, a G3 geomagnetic storm produced vibrant colors visible near the U.S.-Canada border and a faint glow as far south as Texas and North Carolina.
While these solar storms could cause minor issues for specific industries and disrupt some communication services, they are also a reminder of the beauty of science and nature. So if you’re in the northern United States or Europe, keep an eye to the skies and prepare for a potential show of dazzling northern lights.