Strong solar storm about to 'attack' Earth

This image taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory shows the sun's ultraviolet rays on May 2. Credit: NASA.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued a rare severe geomagnetic storm warning after detecting three coronal mass ejections earlier this week, hours earlier than predicted. The effects will last through the weekend and possibly into next week.

NOAA has warned that power plants and orbiting spacecraft as well as the Federal Emergency Management Agency must take precautions.

The aurora borealis is seen in Germany, May 11, 2024. Source: AP

According to NOAA, the storm could produce aurora borealis in the US in Alabama and Northern California. Experts stress that this is difficult to predict and it won't be the dramatic color pictures usually associated with auroras, like streaks of green.

The most intense solar storm in recorded history, in 1859, created auroras in Central America and was even visible in Hawaii. “We didn’t see it coming, but it could be coming,” said NOAA space weather forecaster Shawn Dahl.

The storm poses a risk to the high-voltage transmission lines of the power grid, not the power lines typically found in people’s homes, Dahl said. Satellites could also be affected, potentially disrupting navigation and communications services on Earth.

For example, a powerful geomagnetic storm in 2003 caused power outages in Sweden and damaged transformers in South Africa.

Even after the storm ends, the signal between GPS satellites and ground receivers may become scrambled or lost, according to NOAA. But there are so many navigation satellites that the outage won’t last long.

The sun has been producing powerful flares since May 8, resulting in at least seven plasma flares. Each of these — called coronal mass ejections — can contain billions of tons of plasma and magnetic fields from the sun's outer atmosphere, known as auroras.

The flashes appear to be linked to a sunspot 16 times the diameter of Earth, according to NOAA. It's all part of increased solar activity as the sun reaches its peak in its 11-year cycle.

NASA said the storm posed no serious threat to the seven astronauts on the International Space Station. The biggest concern was increased radiation levels and the crew could move to a more shielded area of the station if necessary.

Increased radiation could also threaten some of NASA’s scientific satellites. Highly sensitive instruments will be shut down if necessary to avoid damage, said Antti Pulkkinen, director of NASA’s astrophysics science division.

Several spacecraft focused on the Sun are keeping an eye on developments.