Solar Storm: Earth is experiencing the strongest solar storm since 2003

According to US weather agency NOAA, Earth is currently experiencing its first “severe” solar storm since 2003. A level 5 solar storm was observed on a five-level scale on Friday evening (local time), the agency's space weather forecasting agency said. center. The solar storm is expected to continue until the end of the week.

According to the agency, a solar storm could affect GPS, power grids, spacecraft, satellite navigation, and other technology. Operators of critical infrastructure in the USA have already been notified. The last time Category 5, classified as “extreme”, was reached in October 2003 during the so-called Halloween storms. At that time there was a power outage in Sweden and transformers were damaged in South Africa.

During solar storms, material ejected from the Sun throws huge amounts of electrically charged particles toward Earth. This can cause fluctuations in the Earth's magnetic field. As a result, strong current peaks can occur in overhead lines, among other things.

The northern lights as a side effect of solar storms

In addition to potential disturbances, solar storms also produce impressive northern lights. They can sometimes be seen significantly south of the areas where they would normally be observed. Astronomers also expect the northern lights to appear over Germany on Friday and Saturday evening. “The further north you are, the greater the chance of seeing them,” said Caroline Lefke of Haus der Astronomie in Heidelberg. Shortly after dark On social media Pictures of the northern lights from different regions in Germany have been published.

There is a trick you can use to make a natural phenomenon visible: a long exposure photo. Without moving the camera, for example by placing the cell phone on the windowsill, you should expose as long as possible. It should be as dark as possible. Often lights can be seen in the sky that cannot be seen with the naked eye.

The Sun is currently going through what is called a sunspot cycle, which lasts about eleven years, with phases of weak and strong activity. At a minimum, no spots can be seen for several months, at a maximum, hundreds. The sun's activity has been increasing steadily since December 2019. Activity is also currently high. That's why the northern lights have been seen frequently over Germany in recent months.