The earth is likely to hit by a geomagnetic storm today or tomorrow. The forecast was confirmed by Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
“A G1 (Minor) geomagnetic storm watch is in effect for 6-7 Apr in response to the anticipated arrival of the 3 Apr CME, which originated from a filament eruption that was centered near S22W30," said NOAA.
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The NOAA, did not issue any precautionary measures for commoners.
What is a geomagnetic storm?
A geomagnetic storm, also known as a magnetic storm, is a temporary disturbance of the Earth's magnetosphere caused by a solar wind shock wave and/or cloud of magnetic field that interacts with the Earth's magnetic field.
These storms result from variations in the solar wind that produces major changes in the currents, plasmas, and fields in Earth's magnetosphere.
Geomagnetic storms are categorised between G1 and G5, the latter being the strongest. A strong geomagnetic storm – G4 or G5 – would cause life altering events on the Earth and damage anything that runs on electricity.
What caused this geomagnetic storm?
According to NOAA, this geomagnetic storm was caused when a coronal mass ejection (CME) from an approximately 25-degree-long filament lifted off the Sun on 3 March.
"A fraction of the storm cloud appears to be heading for Earth and could strike our planet's magnetic field on April 5th or 6th. A glancing blow could spark a minor G1-class geomagnetic storm," SpaceWeather said in its observation.
This is a G1 geomagnetic storm, or a minor one as classified by NOAA.
Impact of geomagnetic storm:
Apart from pushing the aurora at higher altitudes, these storm could impact the electrical systems, including power grids and power plants, radio and satellite communications, and navigation systems.
Trivia
In February this year, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's Starlink project was hit hard when a geomagnetic storm damaged 40 of its satellites.
