Massive solar storm results in magnificent views of Northern Lights; officials warn of possible electronic disruptions



Scientists say that a massive solar storm will lead to communications disruptions across the globe as well as magnificent photographs of the Northern Lights.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued the first geomagnetic storm watch in 20 years over the solar flares that began on Wednesday.

NOAA said the flares appear to be associated with a sunspot that is believed to be 16 times the diameter of the Earth. On Friday, the organization said there was evidence of "major disturbance in Earth's magnetic field," but by the end of the day, they elevated their projection to G5, the highest for solar storms.

"This is an unusual event," said NOAA.

"Shooting a magnet out into space."

The solar eruptions are called coronal mass ejections and send streams of cosmic particles into space that collide with the Earth's atmosphere.

“Widespread voltage control problems and protective system problems can occur," read a warning from NOAA. "Some grid systems may experience complete collapse or blackouts. Transformers may experience damage."

The last solar storm of similar magnitude was documented in Oct. 2003, and it resulted in damaged transformers in South Africa and power outages in Sweden.

While the Northern Lights are sometimes visible in regions of the Earth closer to the northern pole, the size of the solar flares mean the atmospheric marvel could be seen by those as far south as California and Alabama.

The sunspot is so massive that it may be visible to the eye, but experts said people should use eclipse glasses to protect their eyes.

“Essentially the Sun [is] shooting a magnet out into space," said space weather forecaster Bill Murtagh to Nexstar.

Witnesses are already posting incredible photographs to social media of the natural phenomenon.

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"The public should stay properly informed of storm progression," said NOAA.

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The geomagnetic storm begins Friday and runs throughout the weekend.

Here's more about the solar storm:

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NASA warns the electric grid faces serious risk from geomagnetic storms with sun at peak cycle



The sun's magnetic field undergoes a cycle approximately every 11 years. According to NASA, "The sun transitions from relatively calm to active and stormy, and then quiet again." When it gets stormy, the impact can be highly destructive.

The sun's current stage of transition is much more active than scientists had predicted in 2020. "At its most active...the sun is freckled with sunspots and its magnetic poles reverse."

The monthly average number of sunspots at this stage in the solar cycle far exceeds the number forecasted by scientists. According to the Space Weather Prediction Center, in July the sunspot number was 91.4, whereas the predicted value was 42.8.

Not only is the sun more active than scientists expected at this stage in the cycle, this activity will only increase as we near the solar maximum in 2025.

NASA has suggested that with increased activity comes "an increase in space weather events including solar flares and solar eruptions, which can impact radio communications, electric power grids, and navigation signals, as well as pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts."

In 1859, astronomer Richard Carrington observed a massive solar flare vented by the sun. The resulting "electrified gas and subatomic particles" damaged telegraph communications the world over, causing some machines to spark while setting others ablaze.

Given the ubiquity of sensitive technology today, a coronal mass ejection (CME) produced by a flare like that witnessed by Carrington could "blow out transformers in power grids" or cause high-frequency radio signals "to become degraded or completely absorbed," resulting in a radio blackout.

One of the strongest CMEs in recorded history, on par with the Carrington Event, narrowly missed Earth on July 23, 2012. On March 10, 1989, a CME larger than 36 Earths landed a direct hit.

\u201cHuge solar eruptions called coronal mass ejections (CMEs) will likely become more frequent as we approach the peak of the Sun\u2019s 11-year activity cycle \u2013 called solar maximum \u2013 in 2025.\n\nThis video shows several CMEs soon after the last solar maximum.\n\nhttps://t.co/SWedOm7Uh9\u201d
— NASA Sun & Space (@NASA Sun & Space) 1659204046

Two days after the initial solar eruption, the 1989 blast kicked off a geomagnetic storm that resulted in a series of electrical surges and glitches. Scientific American noted that a transformer at a nuclear plant in New Jersey was destroyed and that power grids all over North America and Europe were affected, not least Canada's Hydro-Quebec power utility grid, which crashed altogether.

Over the weekend, NASA reported a C9.3-class solar flare. Since a C-class flare is only ranked second of four categories designating size and intensity (i.e. B, C, M, and X) — with each letter class having a subclass rating numbering from 1 to 9 — it was relatively weak, although Newsweek's Ed Browne has suggested that it may have been underestimated.