The largest solar storm in 20 years will hit the Earth today... What is the truth about the Internet outage?

2024-05-11 2024-05-11T10:05:29Z

Arabia Weather - On Friday evening, a “severe” solar storm hit the Earth, the first of its kind since 2003, as its picturesque polar lights illuminated the skies of many countries of the world. However, this phenomenon raised fears of its potential impact on electronic networks and communications systems and a challenge to Internet networks.

What is the truth about the internet outage due to the solar storm?

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) announced that the geomagnetic storm was caused by the arrival of a series of coronal mass ejections from the Sun to Earth, and is of level 5 on a 5-degree scale, which is described as “severe.”

The agency explained that this phenomenon may affect many technologies, such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), power grids, spacecraft, satellite navigation, Internet networks, and others.

The storm is expected to continue through the weekend, with more of those emissions arriving, raising concern about its potential fallout.

For more about this solar storm, click on the following link:

A strong solar storm is on its way to Earth tomorrow, Saturday

The Earth was struck by a geomagnetic storm following sudden solar activity, which resulted in an increase in the phenomenon of the aurora borealis and a widening of its field of view across the planet. This solar storm is the most severe since 2005 #solarstorm #auroras pic.twitter.com/wNccvy95qf

- World_Weather (@Arab_Storms) May 11, 2024

What is the powerful solar storm that struck Earth 20 years ago?

During a press conference on Friday, John Dahl of the US Agency's Space Climate Prediction Center explained that the phenomenon is "explosions of energetic particles and magnetic fields from the Sun." The last such event reached Level 5 in October 2003, and was called solar “Halloween storms.” That year, Sweden experienced power outages, while electrical transformers were damaged in South Africa.

The Sun is currently heading towards the peak of its activity, according to a cycle that repeats every 11 years. The source of these coronal mass ejections is a sunspot, with a diameter 17 times larger than the size of the Earth, and several of them are heading towards the Earth, and unlike solar flares, which reach the Earth at the speed of light within about eight minutes. CMEs travel relatively slowly, with an average speed of about 800 kilometers per second.

But what results from these solar storms? To know the answer click here

Bright red and purple aurora borealis now decorate the skies over New Zealand due to the impact of solar storm #aurora
New Zealand
Via @TamithaSkov pic.twitter.com/MCu2GAt2o4

- World_Weather (@Arab_Storms) May 10, 2024

Solar storm warnings

These major solar storms, in addition to their potential impact on electronic systems, cause auroras, which sometimes extend farther south than they normally would during typical annual periods.

Images showed the polar lights or aurora borealis in several regions of the United States and even in London and Algeria. Sean Dahl confirmed that operators of communications satellites and the electrical grid in North America had been informed of the storm in advance to take the necessary precautions.

Residents were advised to have batteries or even generators available, just like any other weather storm, and Rob Steinberg, a researcher at the Space Climate Prediction Center, confirmed that electricity operators have worked over the past decade to enhance network protection.

Coordination was made with the US space agency NASA to ensure the safety of astronauts on the International Space Station, who are exposed to greater risks from solar emissions and radiation.

The authorities issued a level 1 radiation warning on a scale of 5, which is not a level of concern currently, but indicated the possibility of disruptions to navigation and high-frequency broadcasting equipment.