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When it comes to terrifying solar storms, the last 24-hour period has been one of the worst since March 2023. The solar storm was triggered by a coronal mass ejection (CME) that was hurled towards the Earth’s strike zone on September 18. There were speculations on whether it would hit the planet or not, but not only did it hit the Earth, it also arrived a day earlier than expected. Also, Earth was hit by multiple solar flare eruptions that caused severe radio blackouts. Know the full impact of this solar storm.
According to a report by SpaceWeather.com, “Earth’s magnetic field is still reverberating from a fast-moving CME strike on Sept. 19th. The CME’s arrival (a day earlier than expected) sparked a strong G3-class geomagnetic storm with auroras stretching from France to the West Coast of the USA”. The report also mentioned that red auroras, indicative of the apex of the storm, were seen till mid-latitude regions.
Terrifying solar storm strikes the Earth
In March, the Earth was hit by a G3-class solar storm that not only delayed the launch of a SpaceX rocket but also forced the operations of oil rigs in Canada to stop due to an increase in static electricity in the surrounding environment. Storms like these can do more damage than usual. They can damage small satellites, impact mobile phone networks, GPS, Internet, and even pose a threat to ground-based electronics and power grids.
The severity of this storm was so great that the aurora effect was seen even in France, which is much further south on the Earth than normal. It is not unusual to see aurora displays as far south as Oregon and Nebraska in the US.
Know the GOES-16 satellite
GOES-16, formerly known as GOES-R before reaching geostationary orbit, is the first of the GOES-R series of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites operated by NASA and NOAA. It was launched on November 19, 2016, and became operational on December 18, 2017. GOES-16 is located in geostationary orbit over the Atlantic Ocean and provides continuous imagery and atmospheric measurements of Earth’s Western Hemisphere. It also carries a lightning mapper, which can detect both cloud-to-cloud and cloud-to-ground lightning. GOES-16 is a vital tool for weather forecasting, climate monitoring, and space weather prediction, including such storms.
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