A powerful solar storm began its assault on Earth on May 10, 2024, potentially disrupting satellites and electricity networks while also offering dazzling auroras as it gains strength.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), early in the afternoon US eastern time, the first of many coronal mass ejections (CMEs) impacted Earth.
This weekend, strong geomagnetic storm conditions are predicted to be brought on by these CMEs, which are defined by the Sun’s outflow of plasma and magnetic fields.
Despite the potential for disruption, the US Federal Aviation Administration reassured the public via social media that significant impacts on the national airspace system were not anticipated.
CMEs travel at a slower rate than solar flares, approximately 800 kilometers per second. The current storm consists of up to seven CMEs emanating from a massive sunspot cluster, resulting in a phenomenon 16 times larger than Earth itself.
According to Mathew Owens, a space physics professor at the University of Reading, the effects of the solar storm will be most noticeable in the northern and southern latitudes, with the extent of the influence determined by the storm’s ultimate intensity.
Owens urged residents of northern Canada, Scotland, and similar regions in the southern hemisphere to go out and take a look at the stunning auroras and, if they had eclipse glasses, to look for the sunspot cluster during the day.
In the United States, the auroras may extend as far south as Northern California and Alabama, as noted by officials.
As Earth braces for the celestial spectacle and potential disruptions, enthusiasts and scientists alike eagerly await the unfolding of this extraordinary event in the night sky.
