2024-05-11 18:17:26
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Although the world is delighted with the incredible images left by the most powerful solar storm in a decade and that has hit the Earth since this Friday, there is also a fear among those who have heard that this geomagnetic storm, which has not occurred since 2003, can affect to satellites, electronic devices and electrical networks in countries where people are not used to experiencing this type of phenomenon.
The solar storm or geomagnetic storm was caused by a train of solar flares at the beginning of this week that sent ejecta or coronal mass ejection – large emissions of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun – in the direction of Earth. The interaction of all that solar material with the planet is what is called a geomagnetic storm.
Unlike solar flares, which travel at the speed of light and are capable of reaching Earth in eight minutes, coronal mass ejections travel at a slower rate of 800 km per second.
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The magnitude of this storm is such that countries that are not used to witnessing these phenomena, due to their latitude, are generating northern lights, such as in northern Europe, Australasia, or not to go too far, in Canada and some regions of the United States, in northern America; and in Chile and Argentina, in the south of the continent.
Juan Camilo Buitrago Casas, physicist and master in Astronomy from the National University of Colombia (Unal), who currently works in California (United States) attached to the University of Berkeley, explains that the typical thing about these phenomena is that they are witnessed in countries of high latitudes, that is, above 80° (according to the measurement from 0° at the equator to 90° at the poles).
“Yes, the northern lights are being seen in lower latitude countries, but they are still mid-latitudes. The aurora reported last night (Friday) at the lowest latitude was between 28° and 30° and is expected to be the same today (Saturday) and tomorrow (Sunday),” he indicates.
In the case of Colombia, Buitrago maintains that this phenomenon is not observed in the country, precisely because of its proximity to Ecuador. “The northern part of Colombia is about 11°, 12° north latitude, so it is still well below 30°, which was the lowest latitude at which it has been seen.”
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Due to such a low level in latitude where the auroras can be seen due to the solar storm, fear has arisen that there are risks of changes in the Earth’s magnetic field and that this will affect satellites, devices technological, among others, as happened in October 2003 – the last time a similar event occurred – in countries such as Sweden, where blackouts were recorded, and in South Africa, where damage occurred to the energy infrastructure.
According to the AFP Agency, the magnetic fields associated with geomagnetic storms induce currents in long conductors, including power cables, which can cause blackouts. Impacts may also occur on high-frequency radio communication, GPS, on spacecraft and satellites.
Although he does not rule out that this could happen, the physicist and master in Astronomy points out that, due to the advances that have been made, the occurrence of the solar storm could be anticipated, which is why governments and large companies were prepared for this phenomenon. “In addition, satellites have electronics that withstand this type of radiation and those that do not turn off,” adds Buitrago.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States, for example, indicated that, although they took measures, “it does not anticipate any significant impact on the country’s airspace system.”
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