2024-08-12 22:43:29
Keystone-SDA
(Keystone-ATS) On Monday, the Earth was hit by a powerful geomagnetic storm. It could bring its share of northern lights, announced a specialized center affiliated with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Conditions corresponding to a geomagnetic storm at level 4 on a scale of 5 were observed on Monday starting at 5:00 PM Swiss time, according to this center. These conditions “could persist until this evening,” but should not increase further in intensity, NOAA added in a statement.
Such an event “can lead to the appearance of light auroras as far south as Alabama and northern California,” according to this agency.
Northern Lights
This new solar storm is caused by coronal mass ejections (CMEs), explosions of particles from the Sun. When these particles arrive on Earth, they disrupt its magnetic field.
“There are many auroras at the moment… If it holds until nightfall here, we might be able to spot some,” wrote Eric Lagadec, an astrophysicist at the Côte d’Azur Observatory in France, on X.
On Sunday, American astronaut Matthew Dominick had already published a stunning photo of a northern light taken from the International Space Station (ISS), where he is currently located.
Undesired Effects
But geomagnetic storms can also come with undesirable effects. They can degrade high-frequency communications, disrupt satellites, and cause overloads on the electrical grid. Operators of sensitive infrastructures have been notified to implement measures to limit these effects, NOAA specified.
In May, the planet experienced the most powerful geomagnetic storms recorded in the past 20 years. They caused northern lights illuminating the night sky in the United States, Europe, and Australia, among other places, at much lower latitudes than usual.
This type of event has increased recently, as the Sun is currently near its peak activity, following a cycle that occurs every 11 years.