A series of solar flares and coronal mass ejections from the sun have the potential to create dazzling auroras that may be seen as far south as Alabama and Northern California but also disrupt communications on Earth tonight and over the weekend, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration\u2019s Space Weather Prediction Center. <\/p>\n
The center, which is a division of the National Weather Service, issued a severe geomagnetic storm watch for Friday evening. It\u2019s the first such watch issued since January 2005. <\/p>\n
As of Friday afternoon, scientists at the center observed a major disturbance in Earth\u2019s magnetic field, known as a G4 or severe geomagnetic storm. This is a level 4 out of 5 severity. <\/p>\n
Conditions indicating the severe geomagnetic storm were first observed by the Space Weather Prediction Center at 12:37 p.m. ET, after traveling from the sun and reaching satellites that monitor space weather 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) <\/strong>from Earth. <\/p>\n As the sun nears the peak of activity in its 11-year cycle, known as solar maximum, later this year, researchers have observed increasingly intense solar flares erupting from the fiery orb. <\/p>\n Increased solar activity causes auroras that dance around Earth\u2019s poles, known as the northern lights, or aurora borealis, and southern lights, or aurora australis. When the energized particles from coronal mass ejections reach Earth\u2019s magnetic field, they interact with gases in the atmosphere to create different colored light in the sky. <\/p>\n The Space Weather Prediction Center tracked multiple strong flares emitting from a large cluster of sunspots on the solar surface since Wednesday. The cluster is 16 times the diameter of Earth. <\/p>\n Scientists also observed at least seven coronal mass ejections, or large clouds of ionized gas called plasma and magnetic fields that erupt from the sun\u2019s outer atmosphere, releasing from the sun in the direction of Earth. These significant outbursts are expected to continue through Sunday. <\/p>\n The center\u2019s space weather scale covers three categories: solar flares that cause high-frequency radio blackouts, geomagnetic storms and solar radiation storms. <\/p>\n The current solar activity is capable of producing a solar radiation storm, according to Shawn Dahl, the service coordinator for the Space Weather Prediction Center. <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the very low end of our scale,\u201d Dahl said. \u201cIt does mean things to some rocket launch operations and satellite operators. But at this point in time, it\u2019s nothing that can\u2019t be handled as far as we understand it. The potential for stronger events of course does exist and we\u2019ll see if any materialize.\u201d <\/p>\n The peak of the geomagnetic storm activity for Earth could occur between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. ET on Saturday, the center has forecasted. <\/p>\n The center referred to this as \u201can unusual event.\u201d There have been three geomagnetic storms since December 2019, but all of them have been considered weak, according to the center. <\/p>\n Geomagnetic storms driven by the sun in recent months have caused auroras to be visible in places where they are rarely seen, including as far south as New Mexico, Missouri, North Carolina and California in the United States, and the southeast of England and other parts of the United Kingdom. <\/p>\n The solar storm caused a dazzling aurora australis to light up the sky over New Zealand around 6:20 a.m. local time. <\/p>\n Depending on the location, the auroras may not always be visible overhead, but keep an eye on the horizon, experts say, because they may create a colorful display there as well. <\/p>\n Even if auroras aren\u2019t visible in the sky, experts at the center recommend taking images of the sky with your phone because the images may capture what you can\u2019t see with the naked eye. <\/p>\n \u201cA severe storm would mean that the aurora will likely be visible in southern Michigan,\u201d said Michael Liemohn, a professor of climate and space sciences and engineering at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, in a statement. \u201cGet away from city lights to a place with clear skies and you should be able to see the green or red glow of aurora across the sky.\u201d <\/p>\n When coronal mass ejections are directed at Earth, they can cause geomagnetic storms, or major disturbances of Earth\u2019s magnetic field. <\/p>\n \u201cGeomagnetic storms can impact infrastructure in near-Earth orbit and on Earth\u2019s surface, potentially disrupting communications, the electric power grid, navigation, radio and satellite operations,\u201d according to the Space Weather Prediction Center. \u201c(The center) has notified the operators of these systems so they can take protective action.\u201d <\/p>\n The center has notified operators in these areas to take action to mitigate the potential for any impacts, which include the possibility of increased and more frequent voltage control problems. Other aspects operators will monitor include a chance of anomalies or impacts to satellite operations and frequent or longer periods of GPS degradation. <\/p>\n In turn, the operators also make sure power lines are performing as expected, ensure that alternate equipment is available and functioning, and any maintenance is suspended, Dahl said. <\/p>\n \u201cBut the key element here is that they know what\u2019s causing anything if the situation unfolds that will allow us to be able to take the proper steps to help mitigate and control any developing problems,\u201d Dahl said. <\/p>\n When coronal mass ejections arrive, they carry their own magnetic field, which can overwhelm power lines and induce electrical currents, so operators will monitor for any signs of such activity, said Rob Steenburgh, space scientist at the Space Weather Prediction Center. <\/p>\n \u201cWhen we\u2019re talking about impacts to the power grid, we\u2019re talking about the high voltage transmission lines. That\u2019s where these currents can develop. It\u2019s not on any line going from a small transformer to their home,\u201d Dahl said. \u201cIt\u2019s only really developing on the high voltage transmission lines, which creates problems for the major transformers that control distribution.\u201d <\/p>\n Solar storms generated by the sun can also cause radio blackouts and even pose risks for crewed space missions. <\/p>\n NASA\u2019s Space Radiation Analysis Group is dedicated to monitoring conditions for astronauts aboard the International Space Station. If there appears to be an increased radiation risk, the astronauts can move to parts of the station that are more well-shielded. <\/p>\n The center warned that additional solar activity could cause geomagnetic storm conditions <\/strong>to be ongoing through the weekend. <\/p>\n The effects of geomagnetic storms<\/h3>\n