Source : CNBC TV
A severe solar storm has hit Earth earlier than expected, raising concerns about potential risks to power and communication systems, along with the possibility of generating northern lights across the US on May 11-12. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued an unusual warning about a severe geomagnetic storm following a solar outburst on Friday, with impacts expected to persist over the weekend and possibly into the following week.
Experts have highlighted risks to high-voltage transmission lines, rather than household electrical lines, and have also warned about potential impacts on satellites, which could disrupt navigation and communication services on Earth.
NOAA has advised operators of power plants and satellites to take preventive measures, in coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). However, for most people, no immediate action is necessary, according to Rob Steenburgh, a scientist at NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Centre.
While the storm could produce northern lights visible from states like Alabama and Northern California, predicting its intensity remains challenging. Although experts cautioned that the displays might not be as vivid as hoped, they suggested that splashes of greenish hues could still be visible in the US.
Steenburgh emphasized the beauty of auroras as a celestial gift from space weather, suggesting that capturing the phenomenon with phone cameras could provide delightful surprises for observers.
Despite potential disruptions, NOAA expects any signal issues between GPS satellites and ground receivers to be brief, given the abundance of navigation satellites available.
The recent solar activity, marked by strong solar flares since Wednesday, has included at least seven plasma outbursts known as coronal mass ejections. These eruptions, each carrying billions of tons of plasma and magnetic fields from the sun's outer atmosphere, have been associated with a sunspot approximately 16 times the diameter of Earth, as reported by NOAA. Such activity is a normal part of the solar cycle, which ramps up every 11 years toward its peak.
NASA has assured that the solar storm poses no serious threat to the seven astronauts aboard the International Space Station. However, concerns about increased radiation levels remain, prompting the possibility of relocating the crew to a better-shielded area if necessary.
