Los Angeles, California – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center has issued a geomagnetic storm watch for July 24 due to heightened solar activity. This watch comes as a plume of plasma and magnetic field, known as a coronal mass ejection (CME), was released from the sun on July 21 and is now heading towards Earth. The CME is expected to arrive on July 24, potentially causing geomagnetic storms.
Space weather physicist Tamitha Skov mentioned in a post that the storm may be delayed due to slow solar wind “traffic” and an additional glancing storm blow ahead of it. CMEs, carrying electrically charged atoms known as ions, can trigger geomagnetic storms when they collide with Earth’s magnetosphere. This collision results in ions interacting with gases in Earth’s atmosphere, releasing energy in the form of light, which manifests as the northern lights or auroras.
NOAA classifies geomagnetic storms using a G-scale, ranging from G1 minor class storms to G5 extreme class storms. The current geomagnetic storm watch issued by NOAA is a G2-class event. With space weather being unpredictable like Earth’s weather, the exact arrival time of the CME on July 24 remains uncertain.
While aurora chasers eagerly await the CME’s arrival, others are concerned about the potential impact on technology. CMEs can disrupt satellites and pose risks to astronauts in low Earth orbit, causing surges in electrical currents, power grid overloads, and disruptions in radio transmissions. The high-energy particles from CMEs can also damage satellites and affect Earth’s atmosphere, potentially posing risks to astronauts.
For the latest updates and alerts on space weather, individuals are advised to check NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center. As the date approaches, more information will become available regarding the potential effects of the upcoming geomagnetic storm.