The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA, for its acronym in English) warned Tuesday of the risk of a geomagnetic storm occurring on Earth between Wednesday and Friday as a result of several recent solar flares.
The agency issued a category 3 geomagnetic storm warning (out of a maximum of five) for Thursday after detecting strong solar winds heading towards Earth after being expelled from the Sun through a
hole
in the corona, the outer part of the star's atmosphere. .
These storms occur when solar winds collide with Earth's magnetic field.
When they reach category 3 they can cause aurora borealis in latitudes farther from the poles, but they do not usually affect human technology.
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"Impacts from a G3 storm are typically minimal," NOAA said, but "they can cause the Northern Lights to stray from their usual place of residence and, if other factors add up, could be seen in parts of Pennsylvania, Iowa and the northern Oregon".
NOAA still
It waits for its satellites in deep space
to detect the radiation
emanating from the Sun in real time to issue a more precise warning about its possible consequences on Earth.
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Category 4 and 5 geomagnetic storms can damage electronics, cause blackouts and disrupt communications, as artificial satellites orbiting the planet are particularly vulnerable to their intense radiation.
In February, 40 nanosatellites from Starlink, a company owned by SpaceX owner billionaire Elon Musk, were rendered unusable after being exposed to radiation from a geomagnetic storm, the Space.com website reported.
