astronomy
Geomagnetic storms following strong solar flares
A few days ago, one of the strongest solar flares ever recorded occurred. photo
© –/NASA/dpa
The surface of the sun is bubbling. We on Earth could also feel this.
The consequences could be more severe at the weekend Solar flares hit the earth. Geomagnetic storms in categories G1 (minor) to G2 (moderate) are expected over the course of Saturday and Sunday, the US Space Weather Forecast Center wrote on its website.
G2 storms can therefore lead, among other things, to the alignment of spacecraft having to be corrected by ground control. In addition, certain types of radio traffic may be affected at higher latitudes. Damage to power grid transformers is also possible there. Northern lights could also be seen far south of the North Pole region.
According to the information, the cause of the geomagnetic storms are so-called coronal mass ejections from the sun on Thursday and Friday. A plasma cloud consisting of electrons, protons and certain atomic nuclei is thrown into space.
According to the forecast center, one of the strongest solar flares ever recorded occurred on Thursday. The event had already affected certain radio communications on Thursday.
The sun’s activity has been increasing again since December 2019. Approximately every eleven years, in a so-called solar cycle, there are phases of weak and strong activity. The sun is currently approaching a maximum.