Astronomy - Geomagnetic storms after strong solar flares
The consequences of violent solar flares could hit the earth at the weekend. Geomagnetic storms of categories G1 (minor) to G2 (moderate) are expected over the course of Saturday and on Sunday, the US Space Weather Prediction Center wrote on its website.
According to the report, G2 storms can, among other things, result in the alignment of spacecraft having to be corrected by ground control. In addition, certain types of radio communication may be affected at higher latitudes. Damage to power grid transformers is also possible there. Auroras can also be seen far south of the North Pole region.
The geomagnetic storms are reportedly caused by so-called coronal mass ejections from the sun on Thursday and Friday. A plasma cloud consisting of electrons, protons and certain atomic nuclei is ejected into space.
According to the forecasting center, one of the most powerful solar flares ever recorded occurred on Thursday. The event had already affected certain radio communications on Thursday.
The sun's activity has been increasing again since December 2019. Approximately every eleven years, in a solar cycle, there are phases of weak and strong activity. The sun is currently approaching a maximum.
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Source: www.stern.de
