Earth will experience its strongest geomagnetic storm in six years today, but the radiation is expected to cause only minor problems with satellites, the power grid and navigation devices.
“Operators are surely seeing a greater number of errors on their system that are causing them to work a bit harder, but we’re not expecting satellites to stop,” Douglas Biesecker, a physicist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told ABCNews.com.
The storm is forecasted to be a G-2 or G-3 on NOAA’s ascending five-point scale.
Biesecker said people should not worry about harmful radiation.
“The magnetic field around Earth is protecting us. That’s one of the great things about being on Earth,” he said.
The average person won’t be affected by the radiation unless they’re taking a flight with a polar route.
“Airlines will divert those flights because high frequency communications will be impacted,” he said.
The storm was set off by a chain of events Sunday evening. A moderate solar flare erupted on the sun, which occurs tens of thousands of times every solar cycle, Biesecker said.
The solar flare was associated with a coronal mass ejection, which is also a frequent occurrence. However, this particular one was big and sent a cloud of plasma with a magnetic field hurdling toward Earth at 4 million mph.
Earth experienced some of the radiation within an hour of Sunday’s solar flare.
“The ones that escape propogate to Earth at the speed of light,” Biesecker explained.
The geomagnetic storm is expected to last for one day.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Tags:
Latest Stories
-
Quincy Jones: His brilliance explained in 10 songs
3 hours -
Nigeria and Britain hail partnership to boost economic ties, security
4 hours -
Chad threatens to withdraw from multinational security force
4 hours -
Cocoa farmers hoard beans in anticipation of price hike, reports Reuters
4 hours -
Boat capsizes off Comoros islands, 25 killed, UN agency says
4 hours -
How are votes counted in the US election?
4 hours -
Mozambique presidential runner-up escapes alleged assassination attempt
5 hours -
Nigerian children who collapsed in court released
5 hours -
Integrity lacking in Ghana’s business history, says Dr David Ofosu-Dorte
5 hours -
Quincy Jones: From ‘street rat’ to music mastermind
5 hours -
Bawumia outlines plans to develop three major railway lines alongside road projects
5 hours -
I want you to be millionaires through my responsible mining policies – Bawumia assures miners
6 hours -
‘Constitution reigns supreme in Ghana’- Declares Attorney General
6 hours -
‘Efua Ghartey’s GBA presidency has a divine touch’, says Attorney General Dame
6 hours -
Esports Ghana: Stakeholders gear up for pivotal meeting in Accra
6 hours