It could mean we see more auroras
Officials have issued an alert after the Earth was hit by a solar storm caused by an expulsion from the sun which could cause disruptions in satellite navigation and radio systems.
In an alert sent by the the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), it was revealed that strong geomagnetic storms had been observed during recent hours and that the solar storm was labelled a G3, which is considered strong.
The storm came after the sun experienced a coronal mass ejection – or CME – which is a large expulsion of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun’s corona. These expulsions find themselves in solar winds and – as in this case – can ultimately reach Earth.
The impact of these solar storms can be felt in a number of ways – from problems with power systems, humans currently in space and satellites in the planet’s orbit, to issues with satellite navigation systems and radios, according to reports.
Such storms can also have an affect on migratory animals like birds and bring about auroras in low altitudes in the night sky.
While the current solar storm is classified by NOAA as a relatively strong G3, the scale in fact goes all the way to G5. During these types of solar storms, all types of chaos could ensue – such as failing power grids, major electrical problems and full on sat-nav blackouts.
However on the positive side of things, a G5 solar storm would offer views of auroras all across the globe, so at least we’d have something nice to look at while the power’s off.
It’s believed that the Earth passed through the impact of this recent CME solar storm a couple of days ago but its effects are only just starting to be noticed.
In the past, scientists and officials have warned that we are dangerously underprepared for the impact a G5 solar storm might have on Earth – with some suggesting that it could be bad enough to send mankind back to into a “dark age” type scenario.
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