Solar flares directed at Earth during Election Day create geomagnetic storm potential

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Active sunspot regions on the Sun seen by NASA’s SDO satellite on November 5, 2024. (NASA)

After reaching solar maximum in Solar Cycle 25, Sun It continues to produce multiple solar flares with some components aimed at Earth. Thank goodness these will arrive after Election Day.

NOAA’s Space Weather Forecast Center released a G1 Geomagnetic Storm Watch for Thursday. Geomagnetic storms of this size are common.

SWPC, solar storms five level scalefive of which are the most extreme and rare space weather conditions. A minor, Level 1/5, geomagnetic storm is possible on Thursday.

On NOAA’s 5-level scale, this is Level 1. However, it is likely that several sunspot regions on the Sun will continue to erupt solar flares with possible components aimed at Earth.

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FILE – Aurora borealis fills the sky with waves of pink and blue color over a farmhouse in Mercer, Maine, on May 11, 2024. (Photo: Michael Seamans/Getty Images)

SWPC said solar flare activity will likely remain high through Wednesday. If a coronal mass ejection (CME) associated with a flare is headed towards Earth, these impacts may take several days to arrive.

When the Sun emits solar flares, solar phenomena known as coronal mass ejections send charged particles toward the sun. Soil. When these particles interact with the Earth’s magnetic field, we can see the following images: Northern LightsIt is known as Aurora Borealis. During minor to moderate geomagnetic storms the Northern Lights may be visible at higher latitudes and in places in the United States such as: Maine and north Michigan.

Another aspect of space weather is its impact on the critical systems we use every day on Earth, including the electrical grid, communications, and GPS navigation.

SWPC also rates radio outages and solar radiation storms on a 5-level scale. This week’s solar flares will likely cause only Level 1 and 2 pulses, which may cause limited disruptions to high-frequency radio communications and loss of radio contact for minutes. GPS navigation may also be temporarily impaired.

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The latest Geomagnetic Storm Watch comes after NOAA and NASA It turns out that the Sun has reached solar maximumIt is the period with the highest sunspot activity in its 11-year cycle. But space weather experts said the most intense activity is expected to continue into 2025.

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