SURPRISE! Earth Hit by Solar Storm Earlier Than Expected from Unseen Direction
Yesterday, it was announced that Earth would be hit by a solar storm tomorrow, July 27, following the detection of a coronal mass ejection (CME) heading towards our planet. However, today, Earth unexpectedly experienced a solar storm, leaving many scientists puzzled. Some speculate that this could be the same CME that somehow accelerated and arrived earlier than anticipated, while others suggest the possibility of an unnoticed CME hitting us from an unmonitored direction. Regardless, this unexpected solar storm has added complexity to the situation, as any future CMEs will now intensify the overall impact of the storm.
According to a SpaceWeather.com report, “A small G1 class geomagnetic storm is underway following the CME impact on July 25 at 2235 UT. It is unclear whether this early arrival of the CME originally occurred on July 27 or an entirely different CME that was previously missed .
A solar storm hit Earth today
This unexpected storm was found to be of G1 intensity, which ranks it among minor solar storms. So this storm is not dangerous to satellites, other ground-based electronics, or even power grids. However, it was powerful enough to wake up an aurora display, meaning it could also interfere with wireless communications such as GPS and shortwave radio frequencies, adding to problems for mariners, drone operators and emergency responders.
Scientists are now trying to locate the CME, which was expected to hit Earth tomorrow. If it’s still there, we should be ready for a more powerful event when it hits. Such solar storms can damage satellite instruments and even destroy satellites by increasing drag in the upper atmosphere. In addition, they can also increase static electricity in ground-level environments, posing a threat to sensitive electronic equipment.
The role of the NASA STEREO spacecraft in observing the sun
The Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) is a pair of twin spacecraft launched in 2006 to study the Sun and its effects on Earth. The two spacecraft, STEREO-A and STEREO-B, are in different orbits around the Sun, allowing them to view the Sun from different angles. This provides scientists with a stereoscopic view of solar phenomena such as solar storms and CMEs.
Some of its main instruments are SECCHI (Sun-Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation), a suite of four instruments that studies the Sun’s atmosphere and solar wind; IMPACT (In-situ Measurements of Particles and CME Transients), an instrument that measures the composition and dynamics of the solar wind; PLASTIC (Plasma and Suprathermal Ion Composition), an instrument that studies the composition of the solar wind and the effects of solar storms on Earth’s atmosphere; and S/WAVES (STEREO/WAVES), an instrument that studies radio radiation from the Sun and solar wind.
