On Monday, a large cloud of solar material, which scientists are calling a “chunk of the Sun”, blasted into space and is expected to hit Earth today. This was triggered by a violent filament eruption near the active region AR45238. The eruption caused a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME), a bubble of electrically charged gas, to move toward Earth.
The electrically charge gas is an expulsion of plasma and strong magnetic fields from the corona, the Sun’s outermost atmospheric layer.
Experts from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predict a G-1-class geomagnetic storm. This is a low-level storm that might cause fluctuations in power grids or minor disruptions in satellite signals. When the solar bubble meets Earth’s magnetic field, it leads to a temporary invisible wave of electricity in the ground called geomagnetically induced current (GIC). This can cause minor voltage bumps in power grids. Most modern power grids are designed to absorb these bumps without causing widespread blackouts.
Noticeable disruption to cellular networks is unlikely. Scientists say that the storm will build gradually throughout the day rather than hitting Earth with full force.
The storm will cause beautiful Northern Lights as the collision of solar particles with Earth’s magnetic field will lead to aurora formation. A frequently overlooked aspect of solar storms is also their impact on animals. Many migratory animals such as pigeons, whales, and sea turtles get lost during storms. This is because they have built-in biological compasses, a sense called magnetoreception in scientific terms. They use this sense to find direction. However, when solar storm disrupts Earth’s magnetic field, it can lead to disruption to these animals’ internal maps.
While the current storm is relatively low on intensity, in 1859, a massive CME hit Earth. This is known as the Carrington Event, which caused massive destruction across the globe. It caused telegraph lines to burst into flames, and the Northern Lights were brighter than the light of a million bulbs.
if there was a planet killer Carrington type event coming, would we really be warned? I doubt it- those in the know would prep and not tell us.