Earth has been rocked by the first extreme geomagnetic storm in two decades, creating a spectacular light show in UK skies and other parts of the Northern Hemisphere – but also posing a threat to communication networks, navigation systems and power grids.
Elon Musk’s Starlink, which owns around 60% of the estimated 7,500 satellites currently in orbit, providing internet coverage around the world, has warned of a “degraded service” as a result of the phenomena.
It was the first G5 or strongest rated geomagnetic storm since 2003, which caused blackouts in Sweden and damaged transformers in South Africa.
So what caused the extreme geomagnetic storm?
A series of strong solar flares spewed from the Sun’s surface have sent a shockwave of magnetically charged plasma directly at the Earth, known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs).
The resulting collision has caused a major disturbance to our own planet’s magnetic field.
Does it pose a threat?
As well as producing extended vivid displays of colour across the skies in places the aurora borealis or Northern Lights cannot usually be seen, as witnessed in southern England, severe solar storms can also disrupt everyday communication and navigation systems.
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The Sun’s energy has a direct impact on the Earth’s ionosphere, where the planet’s atmosphere meets space.
Changing conditions can affect satellites by increasing drag, while radio and GPS signals that travel through this layer of the atmosphere or rely on bouncing off it can also be disrupted.
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Severe solar storms can also create harmful geomagnetic induced currents in the power grid, leading to blackouts.
