Solar storms can produce geomagnetic activity that disrupts radio communications and GPS navigation services, but the storms can be strong enough to produce only the aurora borealis or aurora borealis. It’s unclear how far south the aurora can be seen.
“The largest solar storms can disrupt our technology infrastructure, but this week’s incoming storm is not one of them.” ryan frenchsaid a solar physicist at the National Solar Observatory in an email. “The incoming solar storm is expected to be large enough to produce an aurora show, but not large enough to cause significant technological disruption. [There] It could be a minor issue that is only relevant to your niche industry. ”
The most powerful explosion, or solar flare, was detected by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observation Satellite on Tuesday. Flare fell just short of Category X, the strongest category. solar flare scale. It reportedly produced a pulse of extreme radiation that “knocked out shortwave radio communications across the South Pacific and parts of the Americas…for an hour.” SpaceWeather.com.
The impact of a solar flare on Earth is almost immediate, with bursts of electromagnetic radiation typically arriving in about eight minutes, while associated CMEs typically take two to three days to arrive. Satellite images showed the halo cloud moving away from the sun. A halo CME indicates plasma heading directly toward Earth.
The CME caused by Tuesday’s solar flare could catch up with several other CMEs that preceded it and combine into a “cannibal” CME that will cause the G3 geomagnetic storm. SpaceWeather.com Said. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center G3 storm forecast By Friday. The G3 storm, described as “strong” on NOAA’s 1 to 5 geomagnetic storm scale, could cause intermittent disruptions to satellite navigation and high-frequency radio communications, as well as areas as far south as Illinois and Oregon. It can even produce visible auroras.
CME can carry up to 10 billion tons of solar cell material. cannibal CME Although relatively rare, it is more common near the peak of the Sun’s 11-year solar cycle. I’m looking forward to it It is expected to occur between January and October 2024.
a NASA space weather model They estimate the geomagnetic storm will hit Earth around noon on Friday, but could arrive as early as Thursday.
Direct hit!What is impressive is #solarstorm A rocket launched in the Earth’s impact zone was modeled by NASA. This storm is predicted to hit the Earth by noon on December 1st. Combined with the two previous storms already underway, it means we have a one, two, three punch. If the direction of the magnetic field is correct… pic.twitter.com/XLCAbmjXZ7
— Dr. Tamitha Skov (@TamithaSkov) November 29, 2023
Colorful auroral displays associated with geomagnetic storms are most commonly seen near the Earth’s poles, but when CMEs are strongest, they can also occur further south or north in mid-latitude regions, depending on whether the light phenomenon is a northern or southern aurora. You may be able to see the aurora borealis. , the latter occurring near the South Pole.University of Alaska aurora forecast The Northern Lights are predicted to be visible overhead as far south as Minneapolis and Milwaukee on Friday. The light could be visible low on the horizon as far south as Boise, Idaho, it said. Cheyenne, Wyoming. Lincoln, Nebraska. Indianapolis; weather permitting, Annapolis, Maryland.
“Currently, the most likely chance of aurora borealis occurring late Thursday night…but these events are predicted [is] “The situation is complex, especially with three eruptions coming within a relatively short period of time,” French said. “At this point, his most likely prediction is a G3 result, but a result on either side of this range is also possible.”
Earlier this month, the G3 geomagnetic storm produced bright colors visible to the naked eye near the U.S.-Canada border, and faint lights visible as far south as Texas and North Carolina.
Places far from city lights, especially in the south, are the best places to see the Northern Lights. In some cases, aurora borealis located low on the horizon in more southern latitudes may not be visible to the naked eye, but can be photographed with a long exposure on a camera.