A huge geomagnetic storm hit the Earth in the early hours of March 29, according to NASA. This geomagnetic storm was classified as a G-1 thunderstorm in the K index. After the hurricane that struck the planet, lightning or northern lights were visible in various parts of the United States. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Forecast Center (SWPC) issued a warning on Sunday about the impending solar storm. Many other space services are also monitoring it to watch for any adverse effects on Earth. Although this solar storm has not had particularly alarming effects, it is important to note that an extremely strong geomagnetic storm could have rendered all forms of communication, including telephone and Internet services, causing chaos and disruption to emergency services. The solar eclipse was triggered by a coronary mass ejection (CME) that started from the Sun on Saturday, according to Space Weather. The Sun has seen multiple rapid solar activity this week, a sign that it is entering its maximum solar phase. As the Sun reaches the peak of the solar maximum, it is expected that solar flares and solar storms will increase in both number and size. Dr. Tamitha Skov, a famous space weather physicist, also tweeted about the solar storm. He wrote, “Fast hit or slow? An Earth-guided #solar storm is on its way to Earth, but NASA and NOAA forecasts differ on the timing of the impact. NASA says the collision will be close to midnight on March 28, but NOAA believes 18 hours earlier. Either way #aurora could reach the middle latitudes! (so)”. Earth was lucky that the final solar storm was of category G-1. According to the K index, which measures the magnetic field around the Earth, solar storms are divided into 5 categories from G-1 to G-5. The G-1 is the lowest solar storm that still has a visible effect, and the G5 is given to the most severe solar storms, such as the Carrington incident, when telegraph systems in the US caught fire spontaneously. NASA is constantly working to improve its observation of the Sun so that we can prepare in advance in the event of a solar storm hitting Earth again. While many believe that solar storms are just bright lights near the highest latitudes of the northern hemisphere, in reality they have a high destructive power. The G5 geomagnetic storm is so powerful that it can cause power outages, shut down cellular networks and GPS, and can even damage sensitive electronics on satellites. As the Earth moves deeper to the solar maximum, it will be crucial to avoid any possible G-5 solar storm.
