Weather agencies around the world have warned of a huge solar storm set to hit Earth, with aurora lights visible in parts of Australia.
A huge solar storm is set to hit Earth, potentially causing major issues for power grids.
The storm was also expected to spark a Northern Lights-like aurora display above the north of England and New York, and southern parts of Australia.
The solar storm is caused by a type of solar flare called a coronal mass ejection (CME) – a huge expulsion of plasma from the Sun’s outer layer, called the corona.
The CME was expected to arrive on Earth on October 11 at around 1700 universal time — today at 4am AEDT/3am AEST — according to the Bureau of Meteorology’s Space Weather Services.
“As a result, the geomagnetic conditions are expected to reach minor storm level with a chance of major storms,” the agency said.
“On the local night of 11 October (and maybe 12 October), aurora may be visible from Tasmania, the coastline of Victoria and the southwest coast of Western Australia.”
The UK Met Office and the US’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued similar notices about the phenomenon.
Solar flares can affect communication by disrupting radio signals.
In 1989, a strong solar eruption shot so many electrically charged particles at Earth that the Canadian Province of Quebec lost power for nine hours.
As well as causing issues for our tech on Earth, they can be deadly for an astronaut if they result in injury or interfere with mission control communications.
The Earth’s magnetic field helps to protect us from the more extreme consequences of solar flares.
Weaker solar flares are responsible for auroras like the Northern Lights.
Those natural light displays are examples of the Earth’s magnetosphere getting bombarded by solar wind, which creates the pretty green and blue displays.
The sun is currently at the start of a new 11 year solar cycle, which usually sees eruptions and flares grow more intense and extreme.
These events are expected to peak around 2025 and it’s hoped the Solar Orbiter will observe them all as it aims to fly within 26 million miles of the sun.
The NOAA revealed on its website: “Event analysis and model output suggest CME arrival around midday on 11 Oct, with lingering effects persisting into 12 Oct.”
The solar storm was only expected to be moderate with no need for concern.
The Met Office says the event should only cause “minor to moderate geomagnetic storms”.
It said: “Minor storms may continue into 12 October, before a fast wind from a coronal hole may arrive, perhaps continuing the rather active period of geomagnetic activity.
“Aurora is possible through 11th across much of Scotland, although cloud amounts are increasing, meaning sightings are unlikely.
“There is a slight chance of aurora reaching the far north of England and Northern Ireland tonight, but cloud breaks and therefore sightings are more likely in Northern Ireland.”
This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission
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