LThe US Space Weather Prediction Center (NOAA) issues warning for a severe Level 4 geomagnetic storm, says The voice of the North. This is the first time since January 2005 that such a high alert has been issued by this organization. “At least five coronal mass ejections directed towards the Earth have been observed” around May 8 and the first will arrive from Friday evening (European time).
“Additional solar flares could cause geomagnetic storm conditions to persist throughout the weekend,” NOAA continues. This is an unusual event. »Coronal mass ejections are explosions of plasma and magnetic fields originating from the solar corona. They cause geomagnetic storms when directed towards Earth. This is the case this weekend.
The Level 4 alert is considered “severe” by NOAA. In affected areas, electrical systems may experience “possible voltage problems”. GPS or radio signals may also be disrupted for several hours. But the most spectacular consequence will undoubtedly be observed… in the sky: who says geomagnetic storm says auroras borealis.
The Sun should arrive at its peak of activity, also called “solar maximum”, in the second half of 2024 or in 2025. This occurs every eleven years and it is during this period that solar flares multiply. The solar flare that caused the approaching storm was closely observed by astronomers. The event measured 200,000 kilometers in diameter, sixteen times that of planet Earth.
