Photo Credit NOAA
# 6203
No, you won’t need an SPF 10,000 sun screen to protect yourself, but last night the sun lobbed a respectably-sized CME (coronal mass ejection) in the general direction of the earth (or at least, where the earth will be in a couple of days).
Estimates are that we could see a strong geomagnetic storm (G3) over the next couple of days. This is the alert from NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center.
012-03-07 15:18 UTC Solar Radiation and Geomagnetic Storms Continue
The CME that erupted late on March 4 passed ACE around 0400 UTC March 7 (11:00 p.m. EST March 6). As a result, storming reaching the G2 (Moderate) level continues at this time. Another CME, part of the recent R3 (Strong) Radio Blackout event at 0024 UTC March 7 (7:24 p.m. EST March 6) is forecast to pass ACE early morning UTC on March 8 (start of day EST March 8) . Geomagnetic storm periods reaching the G3 (Strong) level are likely from that CME. Finally, a Solar Radiation Storm is also in progress and levels are currently above the S3 (Strong) threshold. Region 1429 remains potent and subsequent activity is certainly possible. Updates here as conditions warrant.
As we progress into 2012 and towards the expected solar maximum in 2013, we can expect to see an increase in the intensity, and frequency of these solar storms.
And for the hardcore solar geek, the Space Weather Prediction Center is the place where you’ll want to get the latest updates.
But NOAA’s SPC also has a very nice FACEBOOK page, which is probably a bit more user friendly for the general public, that they describe as:
This page is an experimental service provided by NWS to explore the use of Facebook to extend the reach of NWS information. Facebook posts do not always reflect the most current information. For current official info, visit: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/
This page has short reports of space weather events and some spectacular photos, and graphics.
Well worth taking a look.
Several times over the past two years I’ve written about the concerns that FEMA and NASA, along with a host of other agencies and governments, have voiced about potential damage an unusually severe solar storm might cause to our high-tech infrastructure.
A few of those blogs include:
A Flare For The Dramatic
Solar Storms, CMEs & FEMA
A Carrington Event
While sounding a bit like science-fiction, in truth large and potentially disruptive solar storms do occur on rare occasions – usually at the time of a solar maximum.
NASA, while admitting that a serious solar storm could happen practically anytime, also cautions that the next big one could be many decades away. It is a genuine threat, they say, but the timing is impossible to predict.
In 2009 the National Academy of Sciences produced a 134 page report on the potential damage that another major solar flare could cause in Severe Space Weather Events—Understanding Societal and Economic Impacts.
You can read it for free online at the above link.
Last night’s CME doesn’t come close to being in the same league as the Carrington Event of 1859, or even some of the larger solar flares we saw back in the early part of the last decade.
But a CME someday in the future could have a serious impact on the earth’s technology. Which is why NASA and NOAA have invested so heavily in the study, and monitoring, of our sun.
Since solar flares and CMEs are likely to be in the news a lot over the next couple of years, you’ll probably want to make a point of visiting these NOAA sites often.
