Solar storms pose a radiation risk to passengers and crew on high-altitude, high-latitude flights, warns the world’s leading Space Weather Monitoring and Forecasting Center on Alert. Sonny Tumbelka/AFP/Metsul Meteorology
hey Space Weather Forecasting Center (SPWC), gives National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), from the United States, issued Warning In which he has warned about the possibility that a solar storm hitting Earth later this week will pose a risk to people, but not to most of the planet’s inhabitants.
The SWPC warning is valid for astronauts orbiting Earth, such as International Space Space (ISS), and also for passengers and aircraft crew on commercial flights, at higher latitudes, that is, closer to the poles. Many flights take routes close to the poles, especially on routes between North America, Europe and Asia in the Northern Hemisphere. The NOAA warning further outlines the risk to satellites orbiting the world.
According to the statement, “An increase in the energetic part of the solar radiation spectrum may indicate an increased biological risk for astronauts or passengers and crew in high-latitude and high-altitude flights. In addition, energetic particles may pose an increased risk for all satellite systems susceptible to the effects of single events.“
SWPC / Reproduction
The Space Weather Prediction Center predicts a severe G3-scale geomagnetic storm, moving up to 5 this weekend, is severe. This storm will follow a significant solar eruption with a coronal mass ejection (EMC) from the Sun that occurred on October 28.
The analysis indicated that the plasma left the Sun toward Earth at 973 kilometers per second and is expected to hit our planet during this Saturday and continue throughout Sunday with reduced intensity.
SWPC / Reproduction
As the coronal mass ejection approaches Earth, NOAA’s DSCOVR satellite will be one of the first space instruments to detect changes in the solar wind in real time, and SWPC forecasters will update their alerts and warnings.
Northern Lights show expected
Northern lights watchers in Europe and North America look forward to Saturday night through Sunday that could repeat A spectacle in the sky from a few days ago. Strong solar storms should move the traditional aurora belt away from the poles toward lower latitudes. NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center Predicts Auroras likely in the far northeast of the United States, north of the North American Midwest, and in Washington state.
A CME associated with Thursday’s solar flare is expected to reach Earth tomorrow. A G3 (Strong) Geomagnetic Storm Watch is in effect for Saturday and Sunday, and may move aurora over the northeast, in the upper midwest, to WA State. Check https://t.co/WeNidVVNv6 for update. pic.twitter.com/GOvR3a8AJX
— NOAA Space Weather (@NWSSWPC) October 29, 2021
You NOAA forecasters say 85% chance of geomagnetic storms this Saturday, when the EMC is expected to reach the Earth’s magnetic field. It could be a strong hurricane, Category G3, NASA scientist Tony Phillips believes auroras could make landfall in the United States over mid-latitude locations such as Kansas, Nebraska, Oregon and Virginia, New York City, Big cities like Boston and Chicago will stand. Also known as the Northern Lights on the Northern Lights Route.
In the Southern Hemisphere, aurora can still be seen in South Australia, such as in Tasmania, and also in southern regions of New Zealand. The austral aurora will still be visible in the Antarctic regions and should be seen from the polar bases of many countries on the frozen continent.
cause of solar storm
The solar storm hitting Earth later this week will be a coronal mass ejection (EMC), resulting in Thursday’s X1 explosion in the Sun, which should reach Earth’s magnetic field during today. EMC was launched into space yesterday with a large and powerful solar flare following an X-type explosion at sunspot AR 2887, which was aimed directly at Earth at the time of ejection release. Therefore, there is a high probability of a strong solar storm this weekend.
A bright halo coronal mass ejection seen by NASA’s SOHO coronagraph blocks most of the Sun’s light. The halo is a sign that the CME is likely to be Earth-directed and could bring down the spectacular aurora as a strong geomagnetic storm late Saturday night. #spacewx pic.twitter.com/le5Vm7BGk2
— Space Weather Watch (@spacewxwatch) October 28, 2021
Images from the SOHO probe show large quantities of protons moving toward Earth and they arrived at our planet on Thursday, an hour after the Sun was released. The coronal mass ejections that bring solar storms take more than two days to cross all of the space between the Sun and Earth.
Just as with events on Earth, there are different scales for defining events and their intensity (Richter for earthquakes, Saffir-Simpson for hurricanes or Fujita for tornadoes), solar flares also have a scale. Which is based on letters and numbers.
Forget the things that go awry at night. The solar storm this huge Halloween week in 2003 gave us a real awe: https://t.co/H5Yb4ADfRW pic.twitter.com/9CDTa60cT6
— NOAA NCEI (@NOAANCEI) October 30, 2021
The weakest belong to class A while the people of class B are considered weak. Type C solar flares, on the other hand, are smaller, but they can already have less impact on Earth, particularly in favor of auroras at the poles. Class M explosions, in turn, are considered to be of moderate intensity and can interfere with radio transmissions.
Finally, Type X eruptions, such as those recorded on the farm and those that were X 1, are the most intense and longest, and can also have major impacts on terrestrial life if violent.. The strongest solar flare ever observed occurred on November 4, 2003, and was X28 and affected several satellites at the time.
