A series of solar flares and coronal mass ejections from the Sun are creating stunning auroras across the world following a rare solar storm.
The last time a phenomenon of this magnitude hit Earth was in October 2003, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center.
Increased solar activity causes auroras to appear around the Earth’s poles, known as the northern lights, or aurora borealis, and the southern lights, or aurora australis.
When energized particles from coronal mass ejections hit Earth’s magnetic field, they interact with gases in the atmosphere to create different colored lights in the sky.
Even though auroras don’t appear visible, photos of the night sky can capture colors that you can’t see with the naked eye.
The effects on Earth
Although not all solar storms cause major impacts, those considered intense can affect communications operations, such as:
- Damage to satellites: These changes could affect satellites and other spacecraft in orbit, altering their orientation or potentially disabling their electronics;
- Radio broadcasts: Changes in the ionosphere can block or degrade radio transmissions trying to pass through the atmosphere to reach satellites. Furthermore, they can also prevent radio transmissions from being successfully reflected in the ionosphere.
- Electrical network: Severe space weather can compromise power grids, causing “widespread voltage control issues”, protection systems can also mistakenly trip important power grid assets.
With information from Caroline Ferreira, from CNN
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