Solar Storm to Hit Earth Today, Tech Blackout Expected

A solar storm is expected to hit Earth on Sunday and while it is going to be the first such incident of the month, experts believe that it could result in a partial blackout. A coronal hole has reportedly been opened up in the Sun which is releasing a huge swarm of cosmic particles, said a report in express.co.uk.

A statement published on Space Weather website says:

“Cutting across half of the solar disk, a wide hole in the sun's atmosphere is turning toward Earth and spewing a stream of solar wind toward our planet. This extreme ultraviolet image from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory shows the gaseous canyon”.

The image shows a coronal hole, which is a region where the sun's magnetic field opens up while allowing the gaseous material to escape. On the other hand, it looks dark because of the hot glowing gas that was previously contained there, is now missing, the website added. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was quoted by express.co.uk saying that the storm might cause northern and southern lights when it arrives, while NOAA has classified the expected solar storm as a G-1 or ‘minor’.

“NOAA forecasters say G1-class geomagnetic storms are possible when the solar wind arrives on Sunday or Monday. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras, especially in the southern hemisphere where deepening autumn darkness favours visibility of Southern Lights,” reported Space Weather.

However, some experts believe that consequences of this solar storm, expected on Sunday, could be far more serious and said that the solar storm could affect satellite-based technology of the earth, meaning that the planet might witness a partial Tech Blackout. For the unknown, magnetic storms are also known as solar storms, which are a temporary disturbance that is caused by a solar wind shock wave from the Earth's magnetosphere. Solar storms are classified in 5 categories - G1, G2, G3, G4 and G5 and while G1 is considered to be a minor storm, the G5 category of storms are said to cause terrible consequences on Earth.

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