The South African National Space Agency (Sansa) said a solar flare and coronal mass ejection – a large cloud of ionised gas and magnetic fields – impacted Earth this week.

This latest geomagnetic storm comes just months after a severe storm impacted the planet in May, degrading Starlink satellite internet services and other communication systems.

“Geomagnetic conditions are anticipated to range between weak and minor with a chance of strong storms and a slight chance of severe storms,” Sansa warned in a statement. “The sun has been very active over the past two weeks, with two significant solar flares observed on Wednesday.”

The ratings scale for geomagnetic storms ranges from G1 to G5 – G1 categorises weak storms, G2 moderate, G3 strong, G4 severe and G5 extreme. The effects of geomagnetic storms can be wide-ranging depending on their severity. They can change the energy density of elements in the upper and outer layers of Earth’s atmosphere and disrupt the planet’s magnetic field.

For low-Earth-orbit satellites, geomagnetic storms can increase the amount of drag in the upper atmosphere, leading to orbital decay that requires increased fuel consumption to overcome. Disturbances in the ionosphere also disrupt communication signals, especially those at higher frequencies, leading to disruption in services. GPS satellites are affected in similar ways and experience degradation in their accuracy as a result.

Severity

Planes flying at high altitude or close to the Earth’s magnetic poles also experience disruptions in the communications systems during geomagnetic storms. As the severity of a geomagnetic storm increases, so, too, does the risk of disruption to the electrical and electronic components of high-altitude systems like planes and satellites.

At extreme levels, however, geomagnetic storms can lead to disruptions in electrical grids on the ground, too.

“Widespread voltage control problems and protective system problems can occur, and some grid systems may experience complete collapse or blackouts. Transformers may experience damage,” said Sansa.

According Sansa’s space weather page, the geomagnetic storm is unlikely to increase in its severity as no other Earth-directed coronal mass ejections have been observed in the past 24 hours. Solar wind levels, on the other hand, remain strong due to Wednesday’s flare, with speeds ranging between 410 and 820km/s. Geomagnetic activity has ranged between “quiet” and “severe” levels in the past 24 hours.

“Sansa monitors the impact of the storm as it arrives at Earth through a network of ground-based instruments over the African continent, the southern ocean and Antarctica, and works with space weather centres across the globe to monitor these storms.

“There is no way to prevent geomagnetic storms from impacting Earth. However, industries working with technological systems can implement mitigating steps to minimise the impact,’ said Sansa. – © 2024 NewsCentral Media