A unique moment. For the third time. After Friday evening and Saturday, lovers of pink skies will have a new opportunity to marvel this Sunday evening as magnificent northern lights are expected to set the sky ablaze.
This phenomenon is caused by particle ejections from the Sun, which trigger geomagnetic storms when they reach the Earth. Conditions linked to a level 5 geomagnetic storm, the maximum level on the scale used, were observed Friday evening then Saturday, according to the American Oceanic and Atmospheric Observing Agency (NOAA). A first in twenty years.
And if the auroras on Saturday night were weaker than those on Friday, the phenomenon should continue on Sunday, according to the agency.
“A new very large solar storm is on its way to Earth, arrival expected today, so stay tuned! “, wrote Eric Lagadecastrophysicist at the Côte d’Azur Observatory on X. The opportunity for residents of many countries to observe superb northern lights.
No major consequences
The intensity of this phenomenon “took us all a bit by surprise,” Mathew Owens, professor at the University of Reading, told AFP.
But if the authorities were concerned about possible consequences on the electricity and communications networks, no major disruption has yet been observed.
Only “preliminary” information on “irregularities on the power grid” as well as “degradation of high-frequency communications, GPS and possibly satellite navigation” have been reported, according to the US Space Weather Prediction Center.
The Sun is currently near its peak activity, a cycle that returns every 11 years. The last level 5 geomagnetic storm observed dates back to October 2003, an episode nicknamed “the Halloween storms”.