The solar storm is about to strike Earth in a ‘direct hit’

The solar storm is about to strike Earth in a ‘direct hit’: A solar storm is expected to reach Earth tomorrow, potentially disrupting GPS and radio transmissions.

According to Dr. Tamitha Skov, the collision of a “snake-like filament” from the Sun, which Nasa estimates will occur on July 19, would be a “direct hit,” and we should “anticipate signal interruptions on Earth’s nightside.” It’s also conceivable that aurora will be seen in some parts of the world.

However, it is possible that the storm will arrive later this week. According to SpaceWeather, the G1-class storm, which is “small” but could have an influence on satellite operations, could hit the Earth on July 20 or 21.

The storm was caused by a coronal mass ejection, a discharge of plasma, and magnetic energy that was ejected from the Sun on July 15 by an unstable filament of magnetism. These eruptions have the potential to release 100,000 times more energy than all of Earth’s power plants produce in a year.

These storms occur as the Sun enters the active period of its 11-year solar cycle, with instances like these predicted to become more common.

A massive structure of plasma and the magnetic field known as a ‘prominence’ broke away from the Sun during the weekend.

“The sheer scale of the prominence is astounding,” Dr. Sebastian Voltmer, who photographed it, tells SpaceWeather. “It was amazing to witness a fast-moving section of it expel and detach to the side.”

Solar storms can have major consequences on human activity. According to some studies, satellites have been falling out of their orbits as a result of increased solar wind activity, and smaller craft such as CubeSats have been entirely destroyed. These satellites’ altitude fall is ten times faster than in the past, at a cost of tens of millions of dollars.

Scientists may be able to foresee these storms by utilizing the maximum growth rate of sunspot activity as a predictor of how powerful the cycle will be, which might help us secure sensitive infrastructures like power grids, communication equipment, and the internet.