A powerful burst from the sun caused the highest-level geomagnetic storm in Earth’s atmosphere on Friday that is expected to make the northern lights visible as far south as Florida and Southern California and could interfere with power grids, communications and navigation systems.
Tonight’s storm is the strongest to hit Earth since Halloween 2003. That storm was strong enough to cause power outages in Sweden and damage transformers in South Africa.
The effects could continue through the weekend as a steady stream of emissions from the sun continues to bombard the planet’s magnetic field.
The solar activity was so strong that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which monitors space weather, issued an unusual storm warning on Thursday for the first time in 19 years, then upgraded it to warning on Friday. The agency began observing bursts on the sun’s surface on Wednesday, with at least five blasts headed toward Earth, the first of which reached the planet’s atmosphere on Friday.
“What we expect in the next few days will certainly be more important than what we have seen so far.”
For people in many places, the most visible part of the storm will be the aurora borealis, or northern lights. However, authorities and companies will also guard against the impact of the event on infrastructure, such as global positioning systems, radio communications and even electrical power.
While the aurora borealis is typically seen at higher latitudes near the North Pole, people in many other parts of the world were treated to a display this weekend that could last into early week next.
As Friday turned to Saturday in Europe, people across the continent described skies as mottled with color.
Alfredo Carpinetian astrophysicist, journalist and author in North London, saw them with her husband from the rooftop of their apartment building.
“It’s incredible to be able to see the aurora borealis directly from your own backyard,” he said. “I was hoping to see some blue on the horizon, but it filled the sky with both green and purple.”
Here’s what you need to know about this weekend’s solar event.
How will the storm affect people on Earth?
A geomagnetic storm watch or warning indicates space weather that could affect critical infrastructure on or orbiting Earth. It can introduce additional current into the system, which can damage pipes, rails and power lines.
According to Joe Llama, an astronomer at the Lowell Observatory, communication relies on high-frequency radio waves, such as ham radio and commercial aviation, are more likely to suffer. That means your cell phone or car radio, which depends on low-frequency radio waves, is unlikely to be damaged.
However, power outages can still occur. As with any power outage, you can prepare by charging your devices and having backup batteries, a generator, and a radio.
The most notable solar storm in recorded history occurred in 1859. Known as the Carrington Event, it lasted nearly a week, producing auroras that extended to Hawaii and Central America and impacted thousands of people. hundreds of thousands of miles of telegraph lines.
But it was 19th-century technology, used before scientists fully understood how solar activity disrupted Earth’s atmosphere and communications systems.
“It was an extremely severe event,” said Shawn Dahl, a forecaster at NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center. “We didn’t anticipate that.”
Unlike tornado watches and warnings, the target audience for NOAA notifications is not the general public.
“For most people on planet Earth, they won’t have to do anything,” said Rob Steenburgh, a space scientist at NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center.
The goal of the notice is to give agencies and companies operating this infrastructure time to put in place protective measures to mitigate any impacts.
“If everything works as it should, the grid will be stable and they will be able to continue their daily lives,” Mr. Steenburgh said.
Will I be able to see the northern lights?
It’s possible the aurora borealis will appear in the sky in places where they aren’t normally seen this weekend. The best way you can see them is somewhere outside the bright lights of the cities.
But Friday night could cause weather challenges in some places. The Northeast is likely to be covered in clouds.
It’s possible that skies could cooperate in the Midwest, but the timing will be closer to sunrise on Saturday. A storm system will move through the area and if it passes, skies will clear after the storms. Your ability to see the views will depend on your location and the exact timing of the storm system.
If the auroras reach as far south as Alabama, which is possible this weekend, night skies will be relatively clear in northern Alabama and Georgia. Areas in the southern Plains and Rockies may have relatively poor viewing conditions.
Farther west, coastal states will be relatively cloud-free, which could provide good viewing conditions. There may be high clouds in the Washington mountains, but there is still a chance of clear skies.
If you’re in a clear area, even south of where the aurora is forecast, take a photo or video with your cell phone. The sensor on the camera is more sensitive to the wavelengths produced by the aurora and can produce images that you cannot see with the naked eye.
Another opportunity may be to view sunspots during the day if the sky is clear. As always, do not look directly at the sun unprotected. But if you still have eclipse glasses from the April 8 event, you can try using them to spot the sunspot cluster causing the activity.
How strong is the current geomagnetic storm?
Giant explosions on the sun’s surface, called coronal mass ejections, send streams of energetic particles into space. But the sun is huge and such bursts may not pass by our planet as it moves around the star. But when these particles create disturbances in the Earth’s magnetic field, it is called a geomagnetic storm.
NOAA classifies these storms on a “G” scale of 1 to 5, with G1 being minor and G5 being extreme. The most extreme storms can cause widespread power outages and damage to infrastructure on Earth. Satellites may also have difficulty orienting themselves or sending or receiving information during these events.
The current storm is classified as G5, or “extreme.” It is caused by a cluster of sunspots – cool, dark areas on the sun’s surface – about 16 times the diameter of Earth. The cluster flares and spews material every six to 12 hours, with the most recent activity occurring around 3 a.m. Eastern time Friday.
“We predict that we will have one shock after another throughout the weekend,” said Brent Gordon, chief of the space weather services branch at NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center. .
Why is this happening now?
The sun’s activity ebbs and flows in an 11-year cycle, and currently, it is approaching solar maximum. To date, three other severe geomagnetic storms have been observed during the current active cycle, which began in December 2019, but none are predicted to have a strong enough impact on the planet. Earth to give warning or warning.
The sunspot cluster that created the current storm is the largest seen this solar cycle, NOAA officials said. They added that activity in this cycle has outperformed initial predictions.
More flares and explosions are expected from the cluster, but due to the sun’s rotation, the cluster will be oriented in a position less likely to affect Earth. In the coming weeks, sunspots may reappear on the left side of the sun, but it is difficult for scientists to predict whether this will cause another round of activity.
“Typically, these don’t pack as much punch as the original,” Mr. Dahl said. “But time will tell on that.”
Jonathan O’Callaghan Contributed reporting from London.
