The sun is actively spewing coronal masses almost daily since January, accompanied by flares. With this incident, the Earth was exposed to the effects of a Solar Storm with an eruption that led to the planet Earth.
The Space Weather Prediction Center of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the British Met Office have issued warnings for mild and moderate geomagnetic storms over the next few days. But you don't need to panic.
The team of scientists has confirmed that the solar storm does not cause serious problems. In fact, we have been hit by mild and moderate geomagnetic storms over the past few days.
The effects of this are some decrease in high-frequency radio signals at high latitudes, fluctuations in the power grid, and some disturbance in the activity of migratory animals. We can also see an increase in the aurora borealis and aurora australis.
"There is a possible increase in the aurora oval at times during March 13 and 14 as a result of the two Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) and the high velocity flow of the coronal hole arriving at Earth," the British Met Office advises. This light show can be seen at 55 degrees latitude, at each pole.
Solar storms are fairly normal space weather, occurring whenever the Sun is more active. As a result, the CME and the solar wind cause disturbances in the Earth's magnetic field and the upper atmosphere. Currently, both are happening.
Seeing a slightly more active Sun these days is not uncommon. Our star -- the Sun -- does go through an 11-year cycle of activity, with a solar maximum and a solar minimum. The solar minimum, when the Sun's magnetic field is at its weakest, occurs when the Sun's magnetic poles shift. The latest solar minimum occurred in December 2019.
That means we are currently rising towards the Sun's maximum, when the Sun's magnetic field is at its strongest. This means we will see an increase in sunspots and solar flares.
The solar maximum will occur around July 2025. Meanwhile, evidence suggests that we may be entering the strongest cycle ever recorded in history. Stronger solar storms can cause more significant problems. So just pray, yes, if the Solar Storm that we pass always remains at a safe level.
