NASA has issued a warning that a major solar storm may hit Earth. This storm could have a significant impact on our planet, with the initial hit expected on April 19, followed by a direct hit on April 20. The source of this storm is a massive coronal mass ejection (CME) cloud that is headed towards Earth. The cloud is moving in a crescent shape, and glancing blows are expected earlier than a direct hit.
However, this partial strike can have a concerning effect, weakening the magnetic fields of the Earth enough to create cracks on it, allowing CME to escape into the upper atmosphere and cause a far more intense storm.
Space weather physicist Tamitha Skov, also known as Space Weather Woman, has tweeted about this solar storm, saying that people should be ready for aurora. She predicts an extended aurora at high latitudes, with a good chance of views down to mid-latitudes by the 20th.
She has also revealed that there is a 10 percent chance for an X-class solar flare eruption on the Sun, which could cause shortwave radio blackouts and GPS disruption. If this eruption coincides with the solar storm, the overall impact could be more complicated.
A solar storm like this can be terrifying as it can disrupt GPS, hamper mobile networks and the internet, and even cause a massive power outage by corrupting the power grids. Even the electronic devices on Earth are not safe from malfunctioning.
To collect data from various solar activities, NASA uses the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), which has been observing the Sun since 2010. It carries a full suite of instruments, including the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI), which takes high-resolution measurements of the longitudinal and vector magnetic field over the entire visible solar disk.
The Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE) measures the Sun’s extreme ultraviolet irradiance, and the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) provides continuous full-disk observations of the solar chromosphere and corona in seven extreme ultraviolet (EUV) channels.