Minor G1-class geomagnetic storms are possible late on November 25th through 26th
In the past week, the sun has shown increased activity, with a surge in sunspots and the launch of several coronal mass ejections (CMEs) on a daily basis. Earth is continuously experiencing solar storms and there is a possibility of another one approaching today, as per Newsweek. According to NASA, one of these coronal mass ejections (CMEs) may be on a collision course with Earth.
When a CME hits the Earth, it can cause a geomagnetic storm, which is a disturbance of the Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere by the solar plasma.
Huw Morgan, head of the Solar Physics group at Aberystwyth University in the UK told Newsweek. "When a large plasma storm erupts from the sun, and that storm carries a magnetic field which is oriented in an opposite direction to Earth's magnetic field, we have a 'perfect storm,' and a larger geomagnetic storm."
Minor G1-class geomagnetic storms are possible late on November 25th through 26th when two CMEs might graze Earth's magnetic field,Spaceweather.com explained. Both CMEs were hurled into space by magnetic filaments erupting from the sun earlier this week.
''Solar flares and CME are both caused by the sun through its magnetic field being twisted and stressed through motions in the sun,'' Daniel Brown, an associate professor in astronomy and science communication at Nottingham Trent University in the UK told Newsweek.
Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) are large expulsions of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun's corona. They can eject billions of tons of coronal material and carry an embedded magnetic field that is stronger than the background solar wind interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) strength. CMEs travel outward from the Sun at speeds ranging from slower than 250 kilometers per second (km/s) to as fast as near 3000 km/s.
Meanwhile, a geomagnetic storm refers to the disruptions to the Earth's magnetic field caused by solar emissions. The intensity of solar storms is graded on a scale of G1 to G5. G1 storms are the weakest on the scale and can occur on a regular basis, numerous times each month.
The G1 geomagnetic storm is unlikely to cause any damage to life on Earth but can still affect power grids and impact some satellite functions such as those used for GPS systems and mobile devices.