Part wow effect, part alarm. What may happen in the next few hours 149 million km from here, and more precisely to the Sun, has forced NOAA (The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) to issue a rather alarming bulletin: “severe geomagnetic storm (G4)”. A very rare event. The first warning of this kind in the last 19 years, that is, since January 2005, when the earth was hit by a dose of radiation never seen before.
An event that might put a strain on some electronic devices such as GPS, but also parts of electricity grids, the American agency said. And that might unleash several hours of Northern Lights around the globe.
The alarm was raised following two days ago (Wednesday 8 May) a series of solar flares showcased several large ejections of plasma from the Sun, paving the way for the geomagnetic storm hypothesis.
What is a solar flare
A solar flare is a giant explosion on the surface of the Sun that releases an enormous amount of energy in the form of light and radiation. We can also imagine it as a huge bonfire releasing light, X-rays and even energetic particles into space. These explosions occur in the active regions of the Sun, where the magnetic field is very strong, and are often associated with sunspots.
The main cause of these flares – which are classified according to their intensity from A (the weakest) to X (the most powerful) – is the sudden release of magnetic energy accumulated in the solar atmosphere. Clearly, the more powerful a flare, the greater its influence on Earth.
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2024-05-10 13:42:07
