New Delhi: Earth experienced its most powerful solar storm in more than two decades, unleashing breathtaking celestial displays. This remarkable occurrence, characterised by a succession of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) – bursts of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun began on Friday, according to reports from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Space Weather Prediction Center.
The phenomenon raised concerns about potential disruptions to satellites and power grids, with the storm expected to persist into the weekend.
All You Need To Know:
- The impending storm, classified as a G4 event, stands as the second-most severe on the US government’s scale. As per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the radiation from these solar eruptions commenced bombarding Earth’s magnetic field on Friday and is anticipated to persist throughout the weekend.
- In a startling escalation, NOAA upgraded the storm to a rare G5 or “extreme” classification, a distinction not witnessed since October 2003, further intensifying concerns over its potential impact.
- In contrast to solar flares, which travel at the speed of light and reach Earth in approximately eight minutes, coronal mass ejections (CMEs) move at a slower pace, with officials estimating the current average speed at 800 kilometers (500 miles) per second.
- The CMEs originated from a massive sunspot cluster that spans a width 17 times larger than our planet. The Sun is nearing the peak of an 11-year cycle, leading to heightened solar activity.
- The implications of such extreme space weather are vast, with the potential to wreak havoc on technologies essential to modern society. Our communication infrastructure, spanning from the power grid to satellite and high-frequency radio transmissions, now faces unprecedented risk.
- At the heart of the issue lies the interaction between solar radiation and Earth’s magnetic field. When these cosmic emissions collide with our planet’s protective shield, they trigger disturbances in the ionosphere, a critical layer of the upper atmosphere. This atmospheric disruption directly threatens satellites and spacecraft, endangering their operational stability and electronic systems.
- The ionospheric turbulence poses a grave threat to radio communications, hindering transmissions destined for satellites and impeding the bounce-back of signals. This disruption jeopardises essential services, including GPS navigation relied upon by the aviation, maritime, agriculture, and energy sectors.
- Similarly, shortwave radio communications utilised by maritime and aeronautical entities, emergency responders, military units, and amateur radio enthusiasts face potential degradation, amplifying the specter of operational paralysis.
- The NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center emphasises the extensive consequences of geomagnetic disturbances, warning of possible disruptions to both orbital and terrestrial infrastructure. This alert prompts proactive measures by system operators to minimise potential impacts.
- While cellular networks primarily function on frequencies less vulnerable to space weather effects, the reliability of GPS services remains a significant concern. Combining pure GPS signals with location tracking from cellular towers provides some resilience, though it is not immune to disruption.
