October has kicked off with a bang as a significant solar storm heads toward Earth, promising to bring back the spectacular auroras that many witnessed earlier this year.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has recently warned of an impending “G3-class geomagnetic storm,” which is classified as strong and ranks as the third most powerful category, just below G4 and G5. This storm is expected to reach Earth on Friday.
According to the NOAA, this will be the second geomagnetic storm to impact Earth within five months this year.
Experts at the U.S.-based scientific and regulatory agency have stated that while this solar storm will not directly affect humans, it could disrupt sensitive electrical systems, including power grids, satellites, and navigation systems, though the threat should be “mostly mitigatable.”
These geomagnetic storms are caused by eruptions on the sun’s surface, such as solar flares, which release significant amounts of plasma into space and ultimately affect our planet’s atmosphere, as reported by Gizmodo.
Previously, the NOAA warned that a solar flare could lead to a coronal mass ejection (CME), which sends solar particles toward Earth.
The storm’s severity will depend on the orientation of the embedded magnetic field, according to the alert.
A solar flare can be seen as a bright flash in the lower left of an image taken on October 1, 2024, by the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory.
However, CMEs can produce bright auroras, giving people on Earth another opportunity to witness a stunning display of the aurora borealis, which may be visible across many northern U.S. states, the lower Midwest, and even as far as Oregon.
The NOAA’s warning follows a strong solar explosion that occurred on Tuesday, resulting in the second most powerful solar flare in recent years.
This flare originated from an area of the sun known for its numerous sunspots, referred to as Active Region 3842, and was classified as an X7.1 flare by the NOAA.
Solar flares are rated based on their intensity, with B-class flares being the weakest and X-class flares being the most potent. Each letter indicates a tenfold increase in power over the previous one, meaning an X7.1 flare is exceptionally strong and was the second most powerful of the current solar cycle.
