The solar storm is expected to hit Earth today. Here’s more on the August 3 solar storm.
Earth is poised to take a direct hit from a solar storm today, which is Wednesday, August 3. The storm is said to be generated by a coronal mass ejection that occurs in the Sun’s atmosphere, resulting in high-speed solar winds that make their way to Earth.
The solar storm forecast was made by forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC). According to spaceweather.com, forecasters have observed “gaseous material flowing from a southern hole in the solar atmosphere.”
High-speed solar winds interact with the Earth’s electromagnetic field and cause the formation of geomagnetic storms. According to NASA, a geomagnetic storm is a large disturbance in Earth’s magnetosphere that occurs when there is a strong exchange of energy from the solar wind into space above Earth.
However, the solar storm that will hit Earth is expected to be a G-1 class solar storm, which is the lowest intensity and causes much less damage. According to the K-index, which measures the magnetic field around the Earth, solar storms are divided into 5 classes from G-1 to G-5. G-1 is the weakest impact, and G5 is given to the most severe solar storms.
When a solar storm hits Earth’s magnetic field, the resulting geomagnetic storm can kill radio communications and affect the power grid. It can cause power and radio outages for several hours or even days. However, problems with the electrical grid only occur if the solar flare is extremely strong.
On the other hand, solar storms cause an extremely beautiful phenomenon in the night sky known as the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights, which attracts astronomers, sky watchers and others with stunning streaks of color across the night sky.
The frequency of solar flares is expected to increase in the coming years as the Sun reaches the peak of its solar cycle, probably around 2025.
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