Sun has blasted a massive amount of particles that might impact Earth in the next days, according to space weather scientists.
Newsweek, citing estimates from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), said the coronal mass ejection (CME) is expected to deliver a glancing blow to Earth on March 23.
Northern lights (aurora borealis) illuminate the sky over Reinfjorden in Reine, on Lofoten Islands, Arctic Circle, on September 8, 2017.
Geomagnetic Storm to Hit Earth For The 3rd Time
On Tuesday morning, the NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) warned that a geomagnetic K-index of 4 was likely up to 3:00 p.m. UTC (11:00 a.m. ET). The magnitude of geomagnetic storms is measured using the K-index. They classified the upcoming solar flare as a minor G1-class geomagnetic storm.
Solar storms of the "G1 minor" category can disrupt power grids and have minimal impact on satellite communications. A G1 storm, according to The Sun, can also confound migrating animals who rely on the Earth's distinctive magnetic field for navigation.
The Geomagnetic Storms scale is used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to assess the severity of these solar outbursts. The Conversation said the "G scale" is a scale that ranges from minor to extreme, with G1 being minor and G5 being excessive.
According to the New York Post, our planet might be in the path of a solar flare launched by the Sun.
"This [incident] will be the 3rd time in the past week that a CME has almost landed a direct hit. Even a near miss can produce bright Arctic auroras," SpaceWeather said.
NOAA SWPC said there might be mild power grid oscillations, and aurora may be visible at high latitudes in regions like Canada and Alaska.
It comes after the SWPC issued an alarm on Monday morning about a Type II radio emission from the Sun. CME eruptions are usually associated with these emissions.
On Sunday, Type II emissions were recorded, coupled with another warning of a probable geomagnetic K-index of 4, and again on March 14, perhaps correlating with SpaceWeather's data.
Pros and Cons of Solar Storms
Solar storms have the potential to produce beautiful natural light displays, such as the northern lights.
These natural light shows are known as "auroras," and they are caused by solar wind bombarding the Earth's magnetosphere*, resulting in the spectacular green and blue arrays.
"Even a near miss can produce bright Arctic auroras," said Kids News, citing experts.
The Earth's magnetic field shields humankind from the more severe effects of solar flares.
A powerful solar explosion in 1989 sent so many electrically charged particles to Earth that the region of Quebec in eastern Canada lost electricity for nine hours.
They are potentially deadly for astronauts if the contact results in injury or interferes with mission control communications and poses problems for our equipment on Earth.
RELATED ARTICLE: Geomagnetic Storm Warning: Americans Could See Northern Lights in New York and Idaho This Week
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