A GEOMAGNETIC storm is expected to strike Earth tomorrow due to strong solar winds, experts claim.
Fast-moving solar winds are expected to pass by Earth, causing a minor G1-class geomagnetic storm in the next 24 hours, per Space Weather.
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NOAA experts describe geomagnetic storms as a “temporary disturbance of Earth’s magnetosphere that occurs when there is a very efficient exchange of energy from the solar wind into the space environment surrounding Earth.”
A G1 geomagnetic storm classification means the solar event won’t affect humans on the Earth but can cause minor disruptions to power grids and satellite operations.
Experts from Space Weather said that there are “hints in the solar wind data of one or more weak CMEs embedded in the stream”.
A CME, or coronal mass ejection, is a type of solar flare caused by a powerful and active sunspot.
The solar winds observed today likely formed from a large sunspot dubbed AR3055 that appeared on the Sun’s photosphere this past weekend.
What is a sunspot?
Sunspots refer to visible dark areas in the Sun’s photosphere as a result of “intense magnetic flux pushing up from further within the solar interior,” the NOAA explained.
Scientists use the known sunspot count to assess our Sun’s solar activity in 11-year cycles.
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Each cycle consists of peaks and troughs known as ‘solar maximum’ and ‘solar minimum,’ respectively.
What are solar flares?
A solar fare is an eruption of intense high-energy radiation from the sun’s surface.
Solar flares typically expel huge amounts of plasma from the Sun’s outer layer, called the corona.
When solar flares hit Earth’s magnetic field, they can cause geomagnetic storms that affect our satellites and the power grid.
Each solar storm that hits Earth is graded by severity.
Some cause radio blackouts and can pose a threat to astronauts on the ISS.
One good thing about solar storms is that they can also produce natural light displays like the Northern Lights, or Auroras.
Auroras are examples of the Earth’s magnetic field getting bombarded by the solar wind, which creates stunning green and blue displays.
