The Space Weather Forecasting Center announces a G4 Geomagnetic Storm and the First Signed Ejection of Coronal Mass Ejections
You can compare this geomagnetic storm watch to similar notices issued for tornadoes or hurricanes. The watch means there’s a chance of a severe event. The agency is pretty sure we’re going to get hit, that’s why it was elevated to a warning.
The watch for a storm that is G4 is the second highest rating on the scale, and is the first time since 2005 that it has been issued. The center says critical infrastructure operators were notified so they could take precautions.
Once they reach Earth, CMEs interact with our planet’s magnetic field. That can suddenly induce an electrical current into power lines, railroad tracks, pipelines, and basically any long piece of infrastructure that can conduct electricity.
Rob Steenburgh, a space physicist at SWPC, said during the briefing that he did not think we had any real-time experience withgeomagnetic storm and fiber optical cables under the sea. “There would be impacts, but they should not be to the level that would disable them.”
Satellites are vulnerable to risk due to changes in Earth’s atmosphere. The ionosphere, an upper layer of the atmosphere, becomes more dense — creating more drag for satellites in lower Earth orbit.
The first wave of particles is already reaching the Earth. Earlier this afternoon, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declared that the planet was experiencing a G4, or “Severe,” geomagnetic storm. The planet has not had a G4 storm since 2005.
Several waves of flares will slam into the earth in the next few hours and days, potentially disrupting communications and navigation, triggering power outages and damaging satellites.
The most powerful wave of charged particles is expected to hit Earth’s atmosphere later tonight. The Space Weather Forecasting Center says that it may bring up the Auroras as far north as California and Alabama.
The sun’s surface is covered by a group of sunspots that are 16 times as big as the earth. The spots are filled with magnetic fields that can throw huge amounts of charged particles towards our planet. The peak of the Sun’s 11-year solar cycle is known as the Coronal Mass Ejections.
Shawn Dahl is the service coordinator for the Space Weather Prediction Center, he says they have very high confidence in the direction of the ejections.
The most disruptive solar storm ever recorded came in 1859. Known as the “Carrington Event,” it generated shimmering auroras that were visible as far south as Mexico and Hawaii. It also fried telegraph systems throughout Europe and North America.
The radiation from the storm could have other undesirable effects. At high altitudes, it could damage satellites, while at low altitudes, it’s likely to increase atmospheric drag, causing some satellites to sink toward the Earth.
The changes to orbits wreak havoc, warns Tuija Pulkkinen, chair of the department of climate and space sciences at the University of Michigan. The last solar maximum led to the launch of thousands of satellites. The satellites will now see their path change.
What NASA astronauts had to do during the first ISS Solar System storm, and what they could do to prepare for the next big event: a photo of the sky
In order for the astronauts of the International Space Station to be protected, they need to be within the Earth’s magnetosphere. NASA didn’t give details of what its astronauts would do.
While this storm will undoubtedly keep satellite operators and utilities busy over the next few days, individuals don’t really need to do much to get ready.
“As far as what they should be doing, hopefully they won’t have to do anything,” he says. He says to keep a radio and flashlight handy, because there could be a brief power cut.
When you look up, don’t forget to go outside. This event could create a storm that creates Auroras that are visible further south. Even if you can’t see it with your eyes, take a photo of the sky because a faintAurora can be detected by a modern cell phone camera.