The Earth’s magnetic field is on the verge of colliding with the Sun’s coronal mass ejection, which will hit the planet on Thursday. The impact will cause a small to moderate geomagnetic storm on the globe, which will likely result in auroras and radio blackouts in some areas. At a stunning 16,13,520 kilometers per hour, the huge wave of plasma is hurtling towards Earth.
The highly energised material was hurtled into the vacuum of space from a dead sunspot, AR2987, which had suddenly become active. According to the US-based Space Weather Prediction Center, the solar flare will lead to a GS class geomagnetic storm on April 14 is likely to cause a radio blackout.
Geomagnetic storms are quite major disturbance of Earth’s magnetosphere that occurs when there is a very efficient exchange of energy from the solar wind into the space environment surrounding Earth.
The impact is thereby likely to continue till April 15, when the American center has predicted a minor geomagnetic storm around the planet that could cause some issues in weak power grids.
” A Geomagnetic Storm Watch has been issued for 14 Apr 2022, and a G1 (Minor) Geomagnetic Storm Watch has been issued for 15 Apr 2022 as CME effects persist into the 15th,” the SWPC said in its alert.
What Is Geomagnetic Storm?
According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), it is a major disturbance of Earth’s magnetosphere that occurs when there is a very efficient exchange of energy from the solar wind into the space environment surrounding Earth. Variations in the solar wind cause large changes in the currents, plasmas, and fields in Earth’s magnetosphere, resulting in these storms.
Sustained (for several to many hours) periods of high-speed solar wind, is one of the key factors that are effective for causing geomagnetic storms. This state is ideal for transmitting energy from the solar wind to the magnetosphere of the Earth.
The geomagnetic storms are categorised between G1 and G5, the latter being the strongest.
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