A solar storm is to hit the earth this month – according to experts at space agency NASA. Physicists say the storm is likely to happen in the next couple of weeks and could take place as early as today (Monday, March 14).
The chances of the storm hitting the UK is 20 per cent. The predictions have been made based on data collected from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the US-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The NOAA has predicted there is an 80 per cent chance of the storm could hit as soon as today. However, Dr Tamitha Skov , a space weather physicist, says the storm is already here, reports the Mirror Online.
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A solar blast, also known as a Coronal Mass Injection (CME), are very common and not all of them travel towards the Earth, but when they do – they have the power to be disruptive. Some flares can reach speeds of between 250km-3,000km a second, according to the US Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC).
These events are powerful releases of solar charged particles (plasma) and magnetic fields from the Sun, travelling on the solar wind across the solar system. These phenomena send a stream of these electrical charges and magnetic fields toward the Earth and the effect is that communications systems and satellites could be disrupted, as well as the potential for a dazzling Aurora-like effect to appear in the skies.
People across the world may be able to see the Aurora, a light show that is often seen in high latitude areas, this is expected to be seen further towards the equator during the storm. Issues can also be expected for amateur radio and GPS systems, particularly near dawn and dusk.
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Dr Skov tweeted yesterday: “Direct Hit! NOAA & NASA prediction models show solar storm to hit Earth between 12:00 and 21:00 UTC on March 13. “Impact should be strong! Expect aurora deep into mid-latitudes, amateur radio & GPS reception issues, especially near dawn/dusk, and on Earth’s nightside!”
She added on Monday morning: “Solarstorm & Aurora 5-day Outlook: Busy week with a triple threat! A big solar storm is coming sandwiched between a glancing blow from a previous solar storm and some fast solar wind.”
A relatively weak C-class solar flare blasted from the earth-facing side of the Sun on Thursday last week. While Dr Tony Phillips of spaceweather.com stated that these flares are usually unremarkable, this one lasted for nearly 12 hours.
Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) are powerful eruptions of plasma on the Sun’s surface. Billions of tons of material are lifted off the surface and can explode away from the Sun with the force of around 20 million nuclear explosions.
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Scientists don’t quite yet understand what causes CME’s, but do believe that it is something to do with the Sun’s magnetic field.
EarthSky.org explained: “Because the sun is a fluid, turbulence tends to twist the magnetic field into complex contortions. Twist the field too much, and it kinks, much like a phone cord or toy Slinky.
“These kinks snap the magnetic field and can potentially drive vast amounts of plasma into space.”
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