Solar storm warning with massive volcanic eruption from the sun bringing ‘thunderbolt’ to Earth within hours | Science

One of the most powerful forms of solar storms, coronal mass emission (CME), occurs when the sun spews out a cloud of charged particles and electromagnetic fluctuations.
The CME passing close to Earth today was launched into space three days ago by ‘wires’ of interlocking magnetic fields on the surface of the Sun. Early forecasts indicated that the next solar storm could trigger a so-called G1 geomagnetic storm – the smallest – but the US Space Weather Prediction Center issued no G1 warning.

The impact of the CME on Earth is expected to be minimal.

experts with spaceweather.com He said: “The coronal mass ejection will pass close to Earth and could deliver a rapid blow to our planet’s magnetic field.

“Arctic sky watchers should be alert to the possibility of the Northern Lights shining when the CME arrives.”

The natural light of the aurora borealis and auroras appears when particles from the solar wind excite atoms in Earth’s upper atmosphere, causing them to glow.

The Northern Lights form curtains of light that follow Earth’s magnetic field lines – appearing in different colors depending on which atoms are stimulated.

The two main gases in Earth’s atmosphere are oxygen, which emits a greenish light, and nitrogen, which appears in shades of blue, pink and purple.

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – of which the Space Weather Prediction Center is a part – used the five-point G-scale to classify geomagnetic storms.

A G1 storm can have minor effects on satellite operations and cause small power grid fluctuations.

By contrast, G5 events – the most powerful – can seriously affect satellite operations, disrupting power surges for days and disrupting high-frequency radio communications.

Fortunately, G5 solar storms typically only occur about four times during each 11-year solar cycle.

Read more: Space research scale boosted after planet discovered with key chemical

According to a study presented in the Association for Computing Machines (ACM) sigcom Conference 2021, a solar storm the size of the Carrington event could disrupt the internet for weeks.

Unlike Victorian-era telegraph lines, the fiber optic cables that form the backbone of the internet are immune to electromagnetic surges caused by solar storms.

However, the same cannot be said for signal boosters deployed along undersea cables to maintain communications over long distances.

And because they’re underwater, these remote cables are not only more susceptible to the effects of space weather, but also harder to access for repairs.

Astrophysicists predict that there is a 1.6 to 12 percent chance that a solar storm powerful enough to cause a catastrophic disruption to modern society will hit Earth within the next 10 years.