For the first time since January 2005, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued a warning for a harsh geomagnetic storm that could hit the Earth on Friday night.
The warning about the Sever G4 Geomagnetic Storm came after Wednesday’s series of solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from the sun. CMEs can cause geomagnetic storms when directed toward the Earth; five of the solar flares appeared to be directed toward the Earth.
“Additional solar eruptions could cause geomagnetic storm conditions to persist through the weekend,” NOAA warned, adding, “Geomagnetic storms can impact infrastructure in near-Earth orbit and on Earth’s surface, potentially disrupting communications, the electric power grid, navigation, radio and satellite operations.”
On the other hand, geomagnetic storms can also “trigger spectacular displays of aurora on Earth….
