
To prepare for the solar storm, authorities notified satellite operators, airlines, and power grids
The most powerful solar storm in more than two decades struck Earth on Friday, triggering spectacular celestial light shows in skies from Tasmania to Britain — and threatening possible disruptions to satellites and power grids as it persists into the weekend.
Authorities notified satellite operators, airlines, and the power grid to take precautionary steps for potential disruptions caused by changes to Earth’s magnetic field.
Officials said people should have the normal backup plans in place for power outages, such as having flashlights, batteries, and radios at hand.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center, the first of several coronal mass ejections (CMEs) – expulsions of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun came just after 1600 GMT.
It was later upgraded to an “extreme” geomagnetic storm — the first since the so-called “Halloween Storms” of October 2003 caused blackouts in Sweden and damaged power infrastructure in South Africa. More CMEs are expected to pummel the planet in the coming days.
Unlike solar flares, which travel at the speed of light and reach Earth in around eight minutes, CMEs travel at a more sedate pace, with officials putting the current average at 800 kilometers (500 miles) per second.
They emanated from a massive sunspot cluster that is 17 times wider than our planet. The Sun is approaching the peak of an 11-year cycle that brings heightened activity.
The most powerful geomagnetic storm in recorded history, known as the Carrington Event, occurred in September 1859, named after British astronomer Richard Carrington.
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