Strong Solar Storm Hits Earth, Produces Northern Lights in U.S.
A severe solar storm has hit Earth, potentially causing disruptions to communications and power grids while also producing stunning displays of the northern lights across parts of the United States.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a rare severe geomagnetic storm warning when a solar outburst reached Earth on Friday afternoon, hours sooner than anticipated. The effects are expected to last through the weekend and possibly into next week.
NOAA alerted operators of power plants and spacecraft in orbit to take precautions, as well as the Federal Emergency Management Agency. However, for most people, no special actions are necessary.
Northern Lights Visible in U.S.
The storm could produce northern lights as far south as Alabama and Northern California. While the displays may not be as dramatic as the curtains of color normally associated with the Aurora Borealis, they are still expected to be a stunning sight.
“That’s the gift from space weather – the aurora,” said Rob Steenburgh, a scientist with NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center. He and his colleagues suggest that the best views of the northern lights may come from phone cameras which are better at capturing the faint light than the naked eye.
“Snap a picture of the sky and there might be a nice little treat there for you,” said Mike Bettwy, operations chief for the prediction center.
Potential Disruptions to Power and Communications
This storm ranked 4 on a scale of 1 to 5, poses a risk for high-voltage transmission lines and power grids. Satellites could also be affected, potentially disrupting navigation and communication services.
An extreme geomagnetic storm in 2003, for example, took out power in Sweden and damaged power transformers in South Africa. Even after the storm passes, signals between GPS satellites and ground receivers could be scrambled or lost, although any outage should not last long due to the large number of navigation satellites.
Solar Activity and Sun’s 11-year Cycle
The sun has produced strong solar flares since Wednesday, resulting in at least seven outbursts of plasma. Each eruption, known as a coronal mass ejection, can contain billions of tons of plasma and magnetic field from the sun’s outer atmosphere.
Monitoring the Storm
NASA said the storm posed no serious threat to the seven astronauts aboard the International Space Station. The biggest concern is the increased radiation levels, and the crew could move to a better-shielded part of the station if necessary.
Increased radiation could also threaten some of NASA’s science satellites. Extremely sensitive instruments will be turned off, if necessary, to avoid damage. Several sun-focused spacecraft are monitoring the storm’s progress.
“This is exactly the kinds of things we want to observe,” said Antti Pulkkinen, director of NASA’s heliophysics science division.
Rare and powerful Storm
G4 storms, like the one currently hitting Earth, are relatively rare, with about 100 occurring throughout an 11-year solar cycle. The strongest storms, G5, are even more uncommon, with only 4 during an average solar cycle.
“What’s been quite remarkable is that it’s been to back to back – we’ve had six different eruptions” directed towards Earth, said Bill Murtagh, program coordinator at the SWPC.
Last December, NASA captured an image of what the SWPC said was likely “one of the largest solar radio events ever recorded”. Bursts of similar magnitude occurred on Thursday, although they did not affect U.S. air traffic control as they occurred around 4 a.m.
Conclusion
As the sun approaches the peak of its 11-year cycle, the current Solar Cycle 25 is bringing increased solar activity. The strong solar storm currently hitting Earth has the potential to produce stunning displays of the northern lights across parts of the U.S. while also posing risks to power grids, communications, and satellite operations.