Strong solar storm expected – may disrupt communication equipment

The US agency National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued a rare geomagnetic storm warning – the first in almost 20 years. It applies from Friday until the weekend.

NOAA states that there has been a strong solar storm that began on Wednesday. They have recorded five eruptions in which plasma has been ejected, which can affect satellites and power grids here on Earth.

So-called coronal mass eruptions – where plasma is ejected from the sun – can contain billions of tonnes of solar plasma. NOAA describes this latest event as rare, saying it is linked to a sunspot 16 times the diameter of Earth.

During a similar incident in 2003, there was a power outage in Sweden and damage to transformers in South Africa.

Watch video: Historic landing: – Welcome to the moon!

“Solar Maximum”

The Sun is now in a period of peak activity called “solar maximum”, which occurs approximately every 11 years. During this period, giant explosions erupt on the Sun’s surface, including solar flares.

The article continues below the adThe article continues below the ad

When a series of these solar events erupt, it is called a solar storm, and these emit radiation deep into space.

This is also the reason why people have been able to see such strong northern lights in more places than in northern Norway this year.

Can be used for more knowledge about Mars

The solar radiation we now receive will be used by Nasa to find out how people can live on Mars in the future, writes Sky News.

Down here on Earth, we are protected because of the planet’s magnetic field, but Mars is said to have lost this protection a long time ago. Therefore, “the red planet” is more vulnerable to the sun’s energetic particles.

Scientists still do not know how badly solar storms, and the radiation from them, will affect humans and robots on Mars in the future. This is what they hope they can now find out with the help of the space probe Maven (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutionN) and the Curiosity rover. You can read more about that here.