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As the United States celebrated Independence Day on July 4, the Sun put on its own spectacular firework display, heralding the arrival of two solar storms or coronal mass ejections (CMEs). NASA’s Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) captured the incoming CME clouds, revealing their partially directed trajectory towards Earth. CMEs consist of charged solar particles and magnetic fields, with some containing up to a billion tons of plasma.
NASA predicts that the impact of these ionised gas ejections, or plasma, will reach Earth by Friday, July 7. When the charged particles within CMEs interact with Earth’s magnetic field, or magnetosphere, they can trigger geomagnetic storms, reports Space.com. These disturbances have the potential to disrupt power grids, communication infrastructure, and satellite-based services like GPS.
Double solar storm to arrive tomorrow
Video of both CMEs captured by SOHO’s Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph Experiment (LASCO) was tweeted by space weather physicist Tamitha Skov. Skov referred to the approaching storms as a “double punch” of solar activity and stated that the second storm would catch up to the first, culminating in an impact likely to occur on July 7. Skov also shared NASA model runs created by Chris Stubenrauch, showcasing the CMEs’ trajectories and emphasising their potential effects on Earth.
The initial CME, moving at a slower pace, is predicted to arrive before 8 am (EDT) on Friday, primarily heading towards the northeast. The second CME, travelling more rapidly, is expected to have a more direct impact on Earth, veering slightly southward. Its arrival is anticipated in the early hours of July 7. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), these CMEs could generate a G-1 level geomagnetic storm, which is categorised as a modest event capable of generating power grid irregularities and affecting satellite operations.
While the festive fireworks of Independence Day have subsided, the CMEs could produce another spectacular show, this time in the Earth’s atmosphere. When charged particles travel along Earth’s magnetic field lines within the magnetosphere, they generate vibrant and colourful displays known as auroras. Normally visible only at high latitudes near the poles, these potent CMEs might produce auroras visible at lower mid-latitudes. The NOAA underlines that auroras associated with G-1 geomagnetic storms can frequently be seen in the United States as far south as Michigan and Maine.
As we eagerly await the arrival of these solar storms, their potential impact on our planet’s magnetosphere and the stunning auroras they may create captivate the imagination of skywatchers worldwide.
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