A giant plasma ball ejected from the sun and its accompanying magnetic field is expected to hit Earth on Thursday morning, potentially triggering auroras as far south as Alabama. US forecaster.
It occurs when the Sun approaches or reaches the peak of its 11-year cycle and becomes more active.
In May the Earth experienced the most powerful phenomenon magnetic storm For 20 years, it has created a colorful display in the night sky far from the polar regions.
“The current prediction is that it will arrive sometime between morning and noon ET tomorrow, and possibly continue into the next day,” Space Weather Prediction Center’s Sean Dahl told reporters. Wednesday briefing session.
Officials introduced Level 4 because coronal mass ejections (CMEs) travel through space at 2.5 million miles (4 million kilometers) per hour. magnetic storm Clock (G4).
This is one level below the highest G5 seen in May, but the final result could be below or above G4.
More accurate predictions are not possible until about 15 to 30 minutes before impact, when tracking satellites pass by a million miles from Earth.
Dahl said the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), already under pressure in its response to the aftermath of Hurricane Helen and the approaching Hurricane Milton, is also under pressure to respond to information as well as the companies that operate North America’s power grid. He said that since he has been receiving such assistance, mitigation measures can be taken depending on the situation. need.
A fast CME will likely erupt from the Sun on the evening of October 8th and arrive at Earth on October 10th. This CME has been analyzed and could reach G4 levels on arrival and during CME transit. visit https://t.co/89xOZCTfxh As for the whole story. pic.twitter.com/WpjSvmOxSS
— NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (@NWSSWPC) October 9, 2024
When a CME collides with Earth’s magnetosphere, it can create a geomagnetic storm.
Storms can interfere with Earth’s orbiting satellites, affecting things like radio signals and GPS positioning systems.
It also has the potential to disrupt the power grid. The October 2003 “Halloween Storm” caused power outages in Sweden and damaged electricity infrastructure in South Africa.
Dahl said May’s storms disrupted high-precision GPS systems used by U.S. farmers across the Midwest and tripped some high-voltage transformers, but did not cause any major disruptions to the power grid. It is said that there was not.
He added that the orbital level of about 5,000 satellites would need to be corrected because the storm would expand the ionosphere, slowing them down and knocking them out of orbit.
Experts say that for people living at the right latitudes, as far south as northern California and Alabama in the United States, the aurora borealis is best seen in the darkest skies possible, away from city lights. Probably.
Even if things can’t be seen with the naked eye, today’s digital images often can, forcing people to use cameras or cell phones to see them.
© Agence France-Presse
