NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) has issued a warning regarding two solar storms or coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that are projected to partially collide with the Earth today around 5:30 PM IST.
These large CMEs, upon interaction with the Earth's magnetic field or magnetosphere, can trigger significant disruptions known as geomagnetic storms, as reported by Space.com. Such disturbances can have adverse impacts on our planet, including power and communication disruptions, radio blackouts, and affected GPS services.
Dr. Tamitha Skov, a space weather scientist, has shared images of the CMEs captured by the Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph Experiment (LASCO) within the SOHO spacecraft. In a tweet, she stated, "The Sun unleashes a double onslaught of #solarstorms on #July4th! NASA's prediction indicates impact before noon on July 7 UTC. The first storm is slower and will primarily move northeastward. The second storm is faster and will directly hit. Following them, there will be a fast solar wind. There's a possibility of G1-level activity with #aurora visible in mid-latitudes."
Dr. Skov further explained in a Twitter thread that the first solar storm, moving at a slower pace, is expected to predominantly head northeast and reach its destination before 5:30 PM IST. Meanwhile, the second CME is approaching faster and will directly impact the Earth. This solar storm will travel in a slightly southward direction and might reach our planet in the early hours of July 7.
The scientist also cautioned that these CMEs have the potential to cause a G-1 level geomagnetic storm on Earth, which could impact power grids and result in radio blackouts.
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