High-speed solar storm may hit Earth today: Mobile signals, GPS, satellite TVs may be impacted

A high-speed solar storm is approaching the Earth and will hit the planet today. The high-speed solar storm is approaching the planet at a speed of 1.6 million kilometer/s, as per spaceweather.com.

As a result, wind speeds could reach 600 km/s, leading to geomagnetic storms and high latitude auroras.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has classified this storm as G-1 or 'minor'. "THE SOLAR WIND IS COMING: Later today, a high-speed stream of solar wind is expected to hit Earth's magnetic field. Flowing from an equatorial hole in the sun's atmosphere, wind speeds could top 500 km/s. Full-fledged geomagnetic storms are unlikely, but lesser geomagnetic unrest could spark high latitude auroras," spaceweather.com said.

A geomagnetic storm is likely to hit Earth today. This natural phenomenon takes place when a major disturbance takes place in the Earth's magnetosphere, when there is a very efficient exchange of energy from the solar wind that produces major changes in the currents, plasmas, and fields in the Earth's magnetosphere.

The natural event can lead to disturbance in mobile phone signals and impact GPS navigation and satellite TVs. This event can also lead to transformers blowing up due to the highly condensed electrical energy within them.

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10 things you need to know

• Solar storms are linked to an 11-year cycle that shifts the polarity of Sun's magnetic field
• In this event, magnetic forces get tangled and can come out through the surface. This, in turn, sends the sun's plasma into outer space and triggers storms on Earth
• Magnetic storms can also lead to solar flares. "A solar flare is an intense burst of radiation coming from the magnetic energy associated with sunspots," as per NASA
• The heat from solar flares can't directly hit the planet but the flares can cause plenty of disturbances
• High-speed solar streams originate from areas on the Sun known as coronal holes. The winds emanating from these holes only impact the Earth when they are closer to the equator
• The solar storm can impact GPS navigation, mobile phone signals and satellite TVs
• Surge of particles can lead to high currents in the Earth's magnetosphere, which can lead to transformers and power stations blow outs due to higher electricity in power lines
• Besides impacting communications, solar storms also create dazzling display in the atmosphere, which can be observed in areas closer to the Arctic Circle
• Scientists have also predicted that solar storms will peak around 2024 and multiple ejections colliding into the Earth's magnetic field were reported in May 2021
• Most powerful geomagnetic storm led to the 1859 Carrington Event wherein telegraph lines electrified and offices in North America and Europe were set ablaze

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