The Earth will be hit by a solar storm, possible problems with technology
If you experience problems receiving GPS navigation signals and other telecommunication technologies on Tuesday, you can blame it on the Sun and its storm.
It is not unusual for solar storms to form on the Sun, to affect satellites, telecommunications infrastructure, or the power grid. Usually, these events are of a smaller scale, but our home star is quite active this month, that is, it is at the peak of its 11-year cycle of activity. Since the beginning of July, the second large solar flare has already been recorded, which ejected a considerable amount of coronal mass into space, which will also lead to a geomagnetic storm.
A geomagnetic storm is approaching the Earth
Last time, the biggest consequence of a solar storm was the visible aurora in Canada, and then scientists had no data to know that the storm was coming. This week the situation is different. Space weather expert Dr. Tamitha Skov posted an animation on Twitter showing the movement of the latest solar flare on its way toward us.
Direct Hit! A snake-like filament launched as a big #solarstorm while in the Earth-strike zone. NASA predicts impact early July 19. Strong #aurora shows possible with this one, deep into mid-latitudes. Amateur #radio & #GPS users expect signal disruptions on Earth's nightside. pic.twitter.com/7FHgS63xiU — Dr. Tamitha Skov (@TamithaSkov) July 16, 2022
According to this view, the Earth will be in the center of the main "impact" this Tuesday, July 19. It will be a G2 or G3 geomagnetic storm, that is, moderate to strong according to the G-scale. In translation, this means that the aurora will be visible in the more southern regions of our planet, up to 55° north latitude, or even further south, up to 50° (so residents of London, Berlin, or Warsaw could see it if it appeared at night).
Among other consequences, geomagnetic storms of this strength can cause problems with GPS navigation signals, affect the operation of satellites in low orbit, activate alarms in various electronic devices on Earth, and the like. In the worst case, there could be disruptions in the operation of power networks. dr. Skov says that it is most likely that GPS problems will affect the dark side of the Earth at the time of the storm, and that it will be stronger if its magnetic field faces south.
The long snake-like filament cartwheeled its way off the #Sun in a stunning ballet. The magnetic orientation of this Earth-directed #solarstorm is going to tough to predict. G2-level (possibly G3) conditions may occur if the magnetic field of this storm is oriented southward! pic.twitter.com/SNAZGMmqzi — Dr. Tamitha Skov (@TamithaSkov) July 16, 2022
Post by Bryan C.
