Incoming! A severe solar storm could knock out electronics and trigger the aurora tonight

Earthlings, get ready: An intense geomagnetic storm (G4) will reach Earth soon — between now and noon ET — which could cause some electronics to malfunction and generate beautiful aurora later today and tomorrow.

Geomagnetic storms result from the interaction of charged particles coming from the Sun with the Earth’s magnetic fields. When severe, these events can disable electronic equipment such as that used for radio communications. But for those without walkie-talkies, storms are known primarily for the way they cause auroras: the appearance of bright light in the atmosphere caused by the interaction of the Sun’s charged particles with those in our sky.

What is a geomagnetic storm, again?

I hope you’ll forgive me for quoting myself here, given the novelty of the most recent geomagnetic storm. As we mentioned last week, when the planet was under storm watch:

A geomagnetic storm is a space weather phenomenon caused by explosions on the surface of the Sun. There are two different solar events at play here: solar flares and coronal mass ejections. As he explained EarthSkySolar flares are brilliant flashes of light caused by magnetic activity on the Sun’s surface, such as intersecting magnetic fields. Coronal mass ejections are explosions of solar material expelled from the Sun, which can cause geomagnetic disturbances on Earth if the events are directed toward our planet. These geomagnetic disturbances range from the beautiful aurora borealis in our planet’s skies to disturbances in the electrical grid and other human infrastructure.

Solar flares are classified based on their intensity, from Class B to Class X, with each letter class representing a tenfold increase in flare intensity. The next geomagnetic event follows a coronal mass ejection (or CME) which itself follows an x-order solar flare on the Sun.

The image above shows a coronal ejection occurring on the Sun. The bright line to the right of the image above is actually a comet orbiting the Sun and has nothing to do with the geomagnetic storm. Space is a crowded place!

What is the solution to this storm?

The next geomagnetic storm comes from a magnitude X solar flare that left the Sun around 10 PM ET on Tuesday, October 8. The storm is supposed to arrive sometime between early morning and midday Thursday — in other words, as I write this.

The solar flare stimulated a coronal jet heading toward Earth at a speed of about 2.5 million miles per hour (4 million kilometers per hour). Scientists won’t be able to know the CME’s detailed structure until it is very close, about 1 million miles (1.61 million kilometers) from Earth. Once it reaches that point — a region called L1 — the coronal ejection will take between 15 and 30 minutes to reach Earth.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center issued a severe warning (or G4) for a geomagnetic storm, making it the second G4 of the calendar year after a storm in May. The G4 event in May was the first G4 storm since January 2005 and caused aurorae around the world, as far south as Florida in the Northern Hemisphere and also in parts of Australia and Africa in the Southern Hemisphere.

According to Storm hour“Adverse impacts to some of our critical infrastructure technologies are possible, but mitigation is possible.” The watch added, “The aurora borealis may become visible in most parts of the northern half of the country, and perhaps as far south as Alabama to northern California.” You can follow the Northern Lights forecast on This is the Space Weather Prediction Center website.

in Alert has been posted At 11:41 a.m. ET, the Space Weather Prediction Center reported that there was an active G3 storm warning. This does not necessarily mean that we are not in a G4 event, but this is the latest data collected by the center. According to the warning, a G3 event will entail auroras “as low as Pennsylvania to Iowa to Oregon.” Just before noon ET, Space Weather Prediction Center certain CMEs reach Earth and solar storm levels are expected to reach G3 or greater. Higher storm levels could push the visible aurora further south.

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– NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) October 10, 2024

Why was the sun so active?

There has been a flurry of geomagnetic activity in recent months due to the Sun approaching the peak of its 11-year cycle, during which its magnetic field fluctuates back and forth. This slippage causes sunspots, which generate flares and coronal ejections on its surface.

The current solar cycle – solar cycle 25 – began in 2020. There has recently been an increase in solar flares, coronal ejections and geomagnetic storms as the Sun approaches maximum.

To be honest, it’s a bit difficult to keep the number of geomagnetic events straight. There was also a magnitude X solar flare last Tuesday (a week before the solar flare that starts the next geomagnetic storm). This solar flare created a wave of auroras across the northern United States and other northern regions of our planet. But there were also severe geomagnetic storms in August and May.

What did the experts say?

“We’re in the middle of solar maximum right now,” Sean Dahl, service coordinator at the Space Weather Prediction Center, said at a news conference. press conference Wednesday. “We don’t know if we’ve reached the peak yet.” If not now, the peak could be later this year or sometime until 2026, Dahl added.

Dahl added that the solar cycle was more active than experts expected, forcing researchers to reset their expectations. Although we don’t know exactly when we are in the solar cycle, activity will certainly begin to decline by 2026. For now, secure your electric vents and keep an eye on the sky!