Geomagnetic Meltdown: NOAA Satellites Detect Severe Solar Storm
By NOAA APRIL 2, 2024
https://scitechdaily.com/geomagnetic-meltdown-noaa-satellites-detect-severe-solar-storm
NOAA’s GOES satellites observed significant solar activity, including a severe geomagnetic storm, marking the peak phase of Solar Cycle 25. Advanced tools like the GOES-U satellite’s CCOR-1 are key to monitoring and understanding these powerful solar phenomena.
From March 23–24, 2024, NOAA’s GOES satellites, and others operated by international partners, observed numerous flares erupt from the sun, including a powerful X-class solar flare. Additionally, a surge of extremely hot plasma, known as a coronal mass ejection (CME), raced toward Earth resulting in geomagnetic storms and auroras.
The GOES-16 Solar X-Ray Sensor, which is part of the satellite’s EXIS instrument, measures X-ray irradiance (i.e. brightness). This plot shows how the flux changes over the course of March 23rd. Sharp peaks correspond to solar flares of different classes. The data gap is caused by the Earth passing between the satellite and the sun. Credit: NOAA
The Impact of Geomagnetic Storms
This CME reached our planet at 10:37 a.m. EDT (1437 GMT) on Sunday, March 24, triggering a severe G4-class geomagnetic storm, marking the most potent solar storm since 2017. However, according to a Geomagnetic Storm Watch from NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, there was no reason for the public to be alarmed.
Geomagnetic storms, also referred to as solar storms, disrupt Earth’s magnetic field and can potentially affect power grids on Earth as well as radio signals and communications systems. They can also affect our satellite operations and GPS navigation capabilities. Additionally, astronauts in space have to be extra careful during these events, particularly if they are doing a spacewalk. Outside of the Earth’s protective atmosphere, the extra associated radiation they are exposed to may cause radiation poisoning or other harmful health effects.
NOAA categorizes geomagnetic storms on a scale ranging from G1 to G5. A G5 storm, the most extreme level, can result in complete high frequency radio blackouts across the sunlit side of Earth, lasting for several hours.
On March 24, NOAA issued a Geomagnetic Storm Alert that stated how geomagnetic storm levels G1 through G4 had been reached and that aurora might be seen as far south as Alabama to northern California. As a result of this storm, power grid irregularities were reported in Canada.