Solar Storm Today: GPS, Communication Could Be Disrupted By Solar Flares

Celestial events like meteor showers or asteroids zooming past are quite common. The latest event is a solar storm that could cause some damage to the Earth. NASA predicts the solar storm could hit the Earth today, July 19, and even disrupt radio and GPS signals. The solar storm will also lead to the aurora lights phenomenon.

What Is A Solar Storm?

A solar storm or a solar flare is an eruption of electromagnetic radiation in the Sun's atmosphere. When solar flares take place in active regions of the Sun's atmosphere, they might even be accompanied by coronal mass ejections, solar particle events, and other solar phenomena. The occurrence of solar flares varies with the 11-year solar cycle.

Solar Storm Alert Today

A physicist for spaceweather.com has explained the solar storm that's expected to hit the Earth today. She took to social media to explain the celestial event and how it could impact the Earth. "The long snake-like filament cartwheeled its way off the #Sun in a stunning ballet," Dr. Tamitha Skov said via a tweet.

"The magnetic orientation of this Earth-directed #solarstorm is going to be tough to predict. G2-level (possibly G3) conditions may occur if the magnetic field of this storm is oriented southward!" her tweet further continued.

The long snake-like filament cartwheeled its way off the #Sun in a stunning ballet. The magnetic orientation of this Earth-directed #solarstorm is going to tough to predict. G2-level (possibly G3) conditions may occur if the magnetic field of this storm is oriented southward! pic.twitter.com/SNAZGMmqzi

— Dr. Tamitha Skov (@TamithaSkov) July 16, 2022

"Direct Hit! A snake-like filament launched as a big #solarstorm while in the Earth-strike zone. NASA predicts impact early July 19. Strong #aurora shows possible with this one, deep into mid-latitudes. Amateur #radio & #GPS users expect signal disruptions on Earth's nightside," a tweet from NASA explained.

Solar Storm Impact On Earth

The solar storm impacting Earth could create some stunning visions. To note, the Geomagnetic storms are measured on a 'G scale' from one to five wherein G1 is minor and G5 is extreme. Going by the previous information, the solar storm impacting the Earth today is possible G3, which could be on a medium scale.

The G3 scale of the solar storm will lead to active aurora lights near the North Pole, visible in countries like Sweden and Norway. At the same time, the G3 scale of the solar storm could disturb radio frequency or power grid blackouts. It might even lead to communication blackouts, which could also impact the entire world.