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| Solar storms can affect Earth's magnetic field and may cause issues for satellites, power grids, and radio signals. |
The Sun has been flaring up more and more as it approaches its Solar Maximum — the period of top solar activity during the Sun's 11-year solar cycle — ejecting Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) relatively constantly for the past few months. While most of them managed to miss the Earth, some of them ejected in our direction, causing geomagnetic storms.
On Thursday, April 14, yet another important geomagnetic solar storm was set to reach the Earth, causing possible effects on satellites, radio signals, and power systems, as per space departments. Experts thought that this geomagnetic storm might be particularly noticeable given how the Sun has been active recently.
The magnetic activity on the corona — the outermost portion of the Sun's atmosphere — causes it to burst regularly, sending plasma and magnetic fields into space and resulting in a CME. And when a CME hits the Earth, the solar ejecta collides with the Earth's magnetic field, causing a geomagnetic storm on our planet.
US agencies NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have been monitoring the Sun's CME emissions and forecast that the storm will affect Earth on April 14. Due to the extremely fast solar wind stream, the storm may strengthen after it strikes the Earth, NASA has predicted.
In a tweet, the Centre of Excellence in Space Sciences India (CESSI) said its model indicated a very high likelihood of Earth impact on April 14, 2022, with speeds ranging between 429-575 km/s. Low to moderate geomagnetic disturbances were anticipated. Presently, solar wind and near-Earth space environmental conditions were returning to normal levels.
Solar storms are common in space weather, especially when the Sun becomes more active. CMEs and solar winds that affect the Earth's magnetic field end up driving spectacular polar lights, also known as auroras, and sometimes disrupt satellite communications.
A geomagnetic storm of this scale is likely to cause issues with electrical grids and other systems on Earth. Regions at higher latitudes will witness G2-level moderate storms and may thus witness power-grid issues and radio signal disruption. As for the mid-latitude regions, these areas may not be as strongly affected.