A large solar flare is expected to hit Earth anytime today, making auroras visible in the night sky in many parts of the world.?
A warning was issued by the US' National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration over a geomagnetic storm for Earth's northern hemisphere for Monday/Tuesday, depending on which part of the world you're in. In India, the storm is hitting on Tuesday.
The giant solar flare emanating from the Sun was detected on Sunday. The new coronal mass ejection (CME) marks a new period in Sun's life cycle. The central star in our solar system is expected to spew out more such storms in the future, as it enters a period of increased activity.
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All solar storms are marked based on their intensity, ranging from G1 to G5. The G1 classification represents a mild storm while G5 represents danger. The wave currently headed our way is a G2 event.
All solar storms produce some kind of effect on Earth based on their intensity. This particular one could cause power grid fluctuations and voltage alarms especially in countries latitudinally higher up than the rest.
In addition, Earth's satellites could be affected from these solar flares, causing orientation issues and longer lingering periods in low orbit of the Earth.
Owing to the storm, the US city of New York could bear witness to the magical auroras that generally appear in the north and south poles when solar flares bend Earth's magnetic waves.
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The current G2 solar storm is nothing especially compared to the Carrington Event - the largest solar storm recorded to hit Earth. In 1859, the Carrington Event caused visible auroras in the sky even in countries close to the equator.
Such solar storms are expected to become common as Sun becomes more active again, leaving behind its dormancy stage which has kept life on Earth somewhat unaffected from our solar positioning.
While solar storms could cause minor communication disruptions on Earth, a large G5 solar flare could expose human beings to radiation which could cause sickness among many, especially those on board a flight. Even then, scientists are convinced that solar flares do not pose any considerable harm to humans on the ground.
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