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An unusually strong solar storm that has been hitting Earth since Friday evening could produce the aurora borealis in various parts of the world including Italy (where it was already visible last night in some areas) and the United States. Additionally, the effects of the storm could include interruptions to electricity and communications.
The dawn
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a rare and serious warning as the geomagnetic storm arrived, caused by an intense solar flare whose effects reached Earth Friday afternoon, hours earlier than expected. The consequences could last through the weekend and perhaps even into next week.
NOAA has alerted operators of power plants and orbiting spacecraft to take precautions, as has the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “Most people here on planet Earth won’t have to do anything,” said Rob Steenburgh, a scientist at NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center. According to the latter, the storm could produce the aurora borealis as far south as Alabama and northern California. Although experts have stressed that these would not be the colored “clouds” normally associated with the Northern Lights, but rather spots of greenish hues.
The Northern Lights caused by the solar storm
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Using smartphones
According to Steenburgh and his colleagues, the best shots of the aurora could be achieved with phone cameras, which are better at capturing light than the naked eye: smartphones could capture the aurora even when it is not visible to the naked eye : “Take a picture of the sky and there might be a really nice surprise there for you,” said Mike Bettwy, chief of operations at the forecast center.
The most intense solar storm in recorded history, in 1859, caused auroras in Central America and perhaps even Hawaii. This could even come close to that event, said Shawn Dahl, a NOAA space meteorologist. According to Bloomberg, the ongoing magnetic storm has the highest classification level: G5. This storm poses a risk to high-voltage transmission lines for power grids, but not to power lines normally found in people’s homes, Dahl told reporters. Satellites could also be affected, which in turn could disrupt navigation and communications services here on Earth.
