An unexpected solar storm jolted Earth on the weekend. But while it was a minor one, the surprise element made forecasters pay attention.
A minor G1-class geomagnetic storm was recorded breaking out at around midnight of June 25 and 26 as per UTC. This storm occurred due to a volley of radiation which is known as a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME), space weather trackers said. It happens when a cloud of charged particles is ejected out from the Sun’s atmosphere.
With the particular storm, the trackers are unsure why it occurred. They suspect that it was the result of an “unexpected CME embedded in the solar wind”, it was reported.
Such storms can cause minor fluctuations in power grids and similar scaled effects on satellite based communication. On the other hand, strong geomagnetic storms can have a major impact on power grids, hit satellites and cause large scale radio blackouts.
Space weather expert Dr Tamitha Skov stated that unsettled to stormy conditions could be expected in the next 48-72 hours following the storm impact. She also warned amateur radio operators to watch for “minor disruptions” and “auroral propagation”.
Auroras occurred over parts of the Arctic region and northern Canada, US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.
Meanwhile, a huge sunspot that is massively expanding was spotted back on June 20 and has everybody’s attention. The giant sunspot doubled its size in a 24 hour period and was directly facing Earth.
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