Powerful solar activity released by the sun is heading for Earth and it’s likely to create dazzling auroral displays in unexpected areas Monday evening and early Tuesday morning. It could also disrupt satellite-based communications and GPS accuracy.
A solar radiation storm, ranked at a level four out of five on a severity scale, is being tracked by the National Weather Service’s Space Weather Prediction Center, or SWPC.
“An S4 severe solar radiation storm is now in progress – this is the largest solar radiation storm in over 20 years,” SWPC shared on X, formerly known as Twitter. “The last time S4 levels were observed was in October, 2003. Potential effects are mainly limited to space launch, aviation, and satellite operations.”
The Halloween space weather storms of October 2003 resulted in power outages in Sweden and damages to power transformers in South Africa, according to SWPC.
When solar radiation storms reach Earth, they can cause increased radiation exposure risks for astronauts in low-Earth orbit, like those aboard the International Space Station, as well as passengers on flights that are traveling polar routes.
Solar storms can trigger auroras on Earth. This star’s explosion could destroy a planet’s atmosphere
