Massive solar storm that will slam Earth TOMORROW could knock out power supplies, damage satellites and trigger stunning auroras
- Nasa spotted a solar flare releasing a coronal mass ejection earlier this week
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a 'G1' storm watch
- It coincides with the formation of 'equinox cracks' in the sun, which form around the equinoxes on March 20 and September 23 and weaken the magnetic field
A huge solar storm is heading for Earth, and it's likely to hit tomorrow.
The storm could knockout satellites, disrupt power supplies and spark stunning displays of the Northern Lights.
It
was created last week by an enormous explosion in the sun's atmosphere
known as a solar flare, and charged particles from that flare are now on
their way to our planet.
The arrival
of the solar storm coincides with the formation of 'equinox cracks' in
Earth's magnetic field, which some scientists believe form around the
equinoxes on March 20 and September 23 each year.
These
cracks weaken our planet's natural protection against charged particles
and could leave commercial flights and GPS systems exposed to the
incoming storm.
The cracks also mean stargazers are more likely to catch glimpses of the Northern lights this week.
This
may include parts of Scotland and northern England, as well as the
'northern tier' of the US including parts of Michigan and Maine.
Scroll down for video
A
huge solar storm is heading for Earth, and it's likely to hit tomorrow.
It may trigger the Northern Lights in parts of Scotland and northern
England. This animation shows the aurora forecast for Wednesday 14 and
Thursday 15 March (time in GMT is shown top right)
The
charged, magnetic particles from the solar storm can interfere with
machinery in Earth's orbit as well as at the planet's surface, such as
GPS systems and radio signals.
They can also threaten airlines by disturbing Earth's magnetic field.
Very large flares can even create currents within electricity grids and knock out energy supplies.
'A
minor geomagnetic storm watch is now in effect for the 14 and 15 March,
2018. Aurora may be visible at high latitudes,' the US National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) wrote in a statement.
The
particles, which came from the sun after solar flares took place on
March 6 and 7, could cause 'weak power grid fluctuations' and a 'minor
impact on satellite operations,' according to the NOAA.
Nasa
said the first of the two flares - classified in the potent X class and
facing directly at the Earth - was the biggest this year.
It was one of the largest of this cycle known as the solar minimum, which began in early 2007.
Geomagnetic storms are ranked on a severity scale, with G at the bottom, R in the middle and S at the top.
The charged particles, which came
from the sun after solar flares took place on March 6 (pictured) and 7,
could knockout satellites, disrupt power supplies and spark stunning
displays of the Northern Lights
WHAT ARE SOLAR STORMS AND ARE THEY DANGEROUS?
Solar storms, or solar activity, can be divided into four main components that can have impacts on Earth:
- Solar flares: A large explosion in the sun's atmosphere. These flares are made of photons that travel out directly from the flare site. Solar flares impact Earth only when they occur on the side of the sun facing Earth.
- Coronal Mass Ejections (CME's): Large clouds of plasma and magnetic field that erupt from the sun. These clouds can erupt in any direction, and then continue on in that direction, plowing through solar wind. These clouds only cause impacts to Earth when they're aimed at Earth.
- High-speed solar wind streams: These come from coronal holes on the sun, which form anywhere on the sun and usually only when they are closer to the solar equator do the winds impact Earth.
- Solar energetic particles: High-energy charged particles thought to be released primarily by shocks formed at the front of coronal mass ejections and solar flares. When a CME cloud plows through solar wind, solar energetic particles can be produced and because they are charged, they follow the magnetic field lines between the Sun and Earth. Only charged particles that follow magnetic field lines that intersect Earth will have an impact.
While
these may seem dangerous, astronauts are not in immediate danger of
these phenomena because of the relatively low orbit of manned missions.
However, they do have to be concerned about cumulative exposure during space walks.
This photo shows the sun's coronal
holes in an x-ray image. The outer solar atmosphere, the corona, is
structured by strong magnetic fields, which when closed can cause the
atmosphere to suddenly and violently release bubbles or tongues of gas
and magnetic fields called coronal mass ejections
The damage caused by solar storms
Solar flares can damage satellites and have an enormous financial cost.
The charged particles can also threaten airlines by disturbing Earth's magnetic field.
Very large flares can even create currents within electricity grids and knock out energy supplies.
When Coronal Mass Ejections strike Earth they cause geomagnetic storms and enhanced aurora.
They can disrupt radio waves, GPS coordinates and overload electrical systems.
A large influx of energy could flow into high voltage power grids and permanently damage transformers.
This could shut off businesses and homes around the world.
This could become a G-2 'moderate storm' depending on how the charged particles hit Earth.
The
event coincides with the formation of 'equinox cracks' - theorised by
some scientists to form semi-annually during the equinox.
On March 20 and September 23 each year, the Earth and sun line up so that day and night are of roughly equal length.
But the equinoxes also cause cracks to open up in Earth's magnetic field which stay open for hours.
The US National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration says that the forecast suggests the solar
storm will be a G-1 or 'minor' storm. Pictured is the aurora forecast at
9:00pm GMT (5:00pm ET) tomorrow
Nasa
and the NOAA keep track of solar events using an array of telescopes
and probes which help generate geomagnetic weather forecasts.
Researchers
also study the sun to learn more about its structure as well as obtain
data to make predictions about different types of solar flares.
These
include solar flares and Coronal Mass Ejections, which are large clouds
of plasma and magnetic field that erupt from the sun.
Solar flares and particles ejected via coronal mass ejections are associated with dark spots on the sun's surface.
These
are areas of intense magnetic activity, and when the magnetic fields in
a sunspot cross each other, it can result in an energy explosion, known
as a solar flare, which sends radiation into space.
Solar flares only impact Earth when they occur on the side of the sun facing the Earth.
Sometimes,
these explosions can send out coronal mass ejections - large clouds of
plasma and magnetic field that erupt from the sun.
The event coincides with the
formation of 'equinox cracks' in the sun, which form around the
equinoxes on March 20 and September 23. On these dates the Earth and sun
line up so that day and night are of equal length. Pictured is an
equinox crack that formed in March 2012
Forecasters
monitor these events, and when a storm looks likely to have a
significant impact, engineers can shut down certain systems on
satellites, or prepare for impacts on the power grid.
The sun has an 11-year cycle of sunspot activity, with the last maximum having taken place in April 2014.
This
summer, Nasa is set to launch a spacecraft called Parker Solar Probe,
which will travel closer to the sun than any other previous mission.
It
will fly by Venus and travel into the corona - the sun's upper
atmosphere, with the aim of learning more about the particles that are
ejected by the sun.
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