It's time for you to get out your camera if you live in a high altitude area. The Monday 27th September solar storm is predicted by space weather agencies. It will be moderate with the possibility of aurora.
Both the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the British Met Office issued forecasts for the storm. They are both predicted to be caused by several solar coronal mass eruptions (CMEs) and solar winds that have been unleashed from the Sun's corona.
There could be up to four CMEs that could impact Earth. But you don't need to worry. On the five-level solar storm scale (G5 being the strongest), the storm will be limited to a G2 level.
High latitudes may experience power grid fluctuations due to the G2 storm. Satellite orientation could be affected by increased drag at low Earth orbit.
We may also be in for a surprise: The NOAA alert stated that Aurora may be seen as low in New York, Wisconsin and Washington.
The appearance of solar storms is a normal part of space weather. In the next few years we will likely see more of them. These occur when the Sun becomes a bit rowdy in the form CMEs or solar winds. This causes disruptions to Earth’s magnetic field, and upper atmosphere.
CMEs sound exactly like they sound. The Sun's corona, the outermost part of its atmosphere, explodes and ejects plasma and magnetic fields into space. The collision of the CME with Earth's magnet field can create a geomagnetic storm, also known as a sunspot.
The Sun's corona contains 'holes' that allow solar winds to emerge. These are regions of plasma that are less dense and have more open magnetic fields. These regions are more open and allow solar winds to flow through them faster, releasing high-speed electromagnetic radiation into the atmosphere at great speeds. If the hole is in front of Earth, these winds can blow straight at us, again getting trapped in our magnetosphere.
Both are currently active at the Sun.
The British Met Office explained that there are four CMEs that could affect the Earth on its website.
Three of these features could appear separately or together during 27 September. A further CME may also glancing at the earth on 27 September or 28 September. The Earth may also be affected by a coronal hole fast winds on 27 September and 28 September. However, any effects of this wind are uncertain.
"There is also a small chance that the CMEs or fast winds may have an equivalent effect on the earth at the same time, providing a greater impact." Any enhancements would then be lessened between 28 and 29 September."
Charged particles that come into contact with Earth's magnetic fields are sent along the magnetic field lines towards poles. They rain down on Earth’s upper atmosphere, collide with atmospheric molecules, and then they are sent back to the poles. These molecules are ionized, resulting in the aurora.
Space Weather's aurora forecast shows that we have a level of Kp 6, based on the ten point Kp index for geomagnetic activity. This indicates a strong chance of aurora bright and dynamic with the possibility of auroral coronae.
In the coming months and years, we can expect more solar storms. The Sun is now approaching solar maximum, the most active phase of its 11-year cycle. The solar magnetic field that controls sunspots, temporary regions of strong magnet fields, solar flares and coronal mass eruptions is at its strongest during solar maximum. This is also when solar activity is at its highest.
The Sun's most powerful flare since 2017 was released earlier this year. Our star is definitely waking up. Its sunspot activity will peak in July 2025 and then it will recede into solar minimum.
