UAn intense solar storm hit Earth on Thursday and brought northern lights to more southern regions than usual, with the Sun currently near its cyclical peak of activity. Northern lights which could still be visible this Friday evening, between 9 p.m. and midnight, reports The Future.
The peak of this cycle which returns every 11 years led to the most “extreme” solar storm in May since 2003, caused by a series of coronal mass ejections (CME) from the Sun. When these particles arrive on Earth, they disrupt its magnetic field, sometimes resulting in impressive northern lights but also a degradation of high-frequency communications, disruptions for satellites and overloads on the electrical network.
The particles moving at a speed of four million kilometers per hour, this corresponds to a level 4 geomagnetic storm on a scale of 5, according to this organization. The May solar storm had reached level 5.
In October 2003, a “Halloween” solar storm plunged entire parts of Sweden into darkness and damaged energy infrastructure in South Africa. In May, farmers in the Midwest in the northern United States observed malfunctions in their GPS systems and the storm caused problems with high-voltage transformers, without massive disruption to the power grid, added Shawn Dahl. The orbital level of more than 5,000 satellites had to be corrected due to the disturbances. Rare northern lights could be observed in Belgium as in other European countries.
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The splendid images of the Northern Lights seen in Belgium this Thursday evening (photos)
