Strong solar storm could disrupt communications and produce northern lights in US

[riversedge]

Source: AP





By MARCIA DUNN
Updated 10:02 AM CDT, May 10, 2024

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — An unusually strong solar storm headed toward Earth could produce northern lights in the U.S. and potentially disrupt communications this weekend.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a rare geomagnetic storm watch — the first in nearly 20 years. The watch starts Friday and lasts all weekend.

NOAA said the sun produced strong solar flares beginning Wednesday, resulting in five outbursts of plasma capable of disrupting satellites in orbit and power grids here on Earth. Each eruption — known as a coronal mass ejection — can contain billions of tons of solar plasma.

NOAA is calling this an unusual event, pointing out that the flares seem to be associated with a sunspot that’s 16 times the diameter of Earth. An extreme geomagnetic storm in 2003 took out power in Sweden and damaged power transformers in South Africa. ................

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/solar-storm-flares-eruption-sun-fc23251025efc2d20dc128dc0b6a7c68

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So--we might have some outages this weekend.


https://dims.apnews.com/dims4/default/ec1abdd/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1024x682+0+171/resize/980x653!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2Fe6%2Ff7%2F922e9dc7c307254c367204c8120b%2F647cbdd5085c45dba38e8682cd5bc97b

This image provided by NASA shows a solar flare, as seen in the bright flash in the lower right, captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory on May 9, 2024. A severe geomagnetic storm watch has been issued for Earth starting Friday and lasting all weekend _ the first in nearly 20 years. (NASA/SDO via AP)

[CCExile]

1. I've heard this same thing many times in my life,

Never noticed a disruption,

[orangecrush]

2. Too cloudy here

Haven't seen the lights yet.

The sunspot is so big you can see it with just the eclipse glasses.

Ham Radio comms are almost completely dead.