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world has just know its most powerful geomagnetic storm in more than 20 years after a serial of solar storms smashed into our planet . The extraordinary consequence trigger vibrant sunrise displays as far to the south as Florida and caused force grid irregularities as well as impermanent satellite issues .
The prolonged disturbance to Earth ’s magnetised field , which lasted from Friday ( May 10 ) to the early minute of Monday ( May 13 ) , start whenat least five solar storms , known ascoronal flock ejections(CMEs ) , slam dance into our major planet ’s protective field one after the other . These CMEs were launched into infinite last week bysolar flaresfrom a single , massive sunspot , name AR3664 , which ismore than 15 times all-inclusive than Earth . A bulk of these flares were X - category — the most brawny character of surface explosions the sun is capable of produce .
Vibrant auroras, like these above the Austrian alps, were visible across large parts of the world between May 10 and May 12.
The CME bombardment temporarily countermine Earth ’s protective field , which enabled charge subatomic particle from the sunlight to penetrate deeply into the atmosphere and excite molecules of gas . These in turn triggered vibrant , multicolored sunup at latitudes much far from Earth ’s polar region than normal . In the Northern Hemisphere , auroras get off up the skies as far south as Florida , Mexico and Puerto Rico , as well as across percentage of Europe , according toSpaceweather.com . Similar luminousness show were also spy at equally strange latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere .
Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ’s Space Weather Prediction Center ( SWPC ) had forecast that the storm would be a " austere " G4 disturbance — the secondly - highest class of geomagnetic storm . However , the affray exceeded initial anticipation and in short reached " extreme " G5 status at least doubly over the weekend , first of all on May 10 and again on May 11 , according toSWPC statements . This is the same category as the infamousCarrington Event of 1859and is the first clock time Earth has experienced G5 conditions since theGreat Halloween storms of 2003 .
In theory , G5 storm cansend satellites get it to Earth , scathe ground - based infrastructureand bump out power grid . However , in this type , the risky effects seem to have been some minor " tycoon control grid irregularities " and temporary disruptions to GPS and other planet services , according to the SWPC .
At least five Earth-directed CMEs exploded from AR3664 in less than 48 hours last week.
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G5 - class storms are rare but are more likely to occur during solar uttermost — the most alive form of the sun ’s roughly 11 - year solar cycle . Scientists ca n’t pinpoint exactly when this geological period begins in real metre , but several expert believewe have already enter solar maximum .
antecedently , the solar maximum was forecast to arrive at some point next year and be frail compared with former solar cycles . However , as the solar cycle get on it became open that the maximum wouldarrive preferably — and be more muscular — than initially expected .
AR3664 was around the same size as the Carrington sunspot, which birthed the most powerful solar storm to hit Earth in recorded history.
Over the weekend , AR3664 , which is around the same size as theCarrington sunspot , spat out another two X - class solar flares , including an X5.89 - magnitude good time on May 11 — the second - most hefty blast of the current solar cycle . This brings the sunspot ’s hug drug - class solar flare reckoning to seven , make it by far the most active macula of the current cycle so far , allot toSpaceWeatherLive.com .
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At least one of these additional 10 - class flares launched a CME , which was initially predicted to hit Earth and possibly extend the weekend ’s geomagnetic storm deep into Monday ( May 13 ) . But further observations showed that this CME is not directed at Earth , Spaceweather.com reported . AR3664 is now turning further away from our satellite and is improbable to barrage us with solar storms again .
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