Alert! Fierce solar storm to hit Earth today, mobile, GPS signals likely to be affected globally

A fierce solar storm is moving towards the Earth at a speed of 1.6 million kilometers per hour and it will likely hit the earth on Wednesday (July 14). Earlier, it was predicted to reach the planet between July 11 and July 12.

The storm originated from a hole that has opened up in the Sun's atmosphere. There are concerns this storm may cause a power failure around the world. 

"A high-speed stream of solar wind that was supposed to arrive on July 11 is almost 3 days overdue... The stream is flowing from a hole in the sun's atmosphere so broad that a miss seems unlikely. Last chance for contact is July 14," Spaceweather.com wrote on its official website.

According to the website, a hole has opened up in the Sun's atmosphere which is now spewing a stream of solar wind in Earth's direction.

A solar storm is a powerful phenomenon that has the ability to plunge humans into chaos. It can cause satellite troubles, affect mobile phone and GPS signals, and cause widespread blackouts. Furthermore, a solar storm can also affect human health.

Experts fear that the strong winds may trigger a geomagnetic storm in Earth's magnetosphere which includes the upper reaches of Earth in space and this may cause the emergence of visually pleasing auroras in north and south latitudinous regions.

What is a solar storm?

As per NASA, solar storms are “a variety of eruptions of mass and energy from the solar surface.” These are caused by solar features and phenomena like flares, prominences, sunspots, and coronal mass ejections (CMEs).

In a solar storm, stored magnetic energy is suddenly released from the sun. These solar winds of energy can sometimes hit the Earth and cause temporary disturbances in the planet’s magnetic field. While Earth’s magnetosphere, its magnetic shield, absorbs most of these solar storms, some of them can cause chaotic disturbances like blinding satellites, disrupting mobile phone and GPS signals as well as widespread power outages.

How will it affect mobile phone and GPS signals?

Collisions too hot to handle for Earth’s magnetic field can impact communication, energy transmission, and weather in the region of space dominated by Earth's magnetic field.

The strong electrical currents from these solar storms cause changes in the Earth’s ionosphere which interfere with high-frequency radio communications, mobile phones and GPS signals. Furthermore, solar protons can also be absorbed by polar caps of Earth which can compromise radio communications for airplanes flying on transpolar routes, as per NASA.

How solar storms impact human health?

Solar storms emit radiations, exposure to which is harmful to humans and can cause organ damage, radiation sickness, and cancer.

Most experts state that there’s no significant risk to humans on the ground from a solar flare. This is due to the fact that the Earth's atmosphere acts as a protective shield for living beings, absorbing most of the radiation.