Typically, travelers have to spend a significant amount of money and endure the chilly weather to have a chance to witness the aurora borealis, but last weekend, many people around the world only needed to look up at the sky to see vibrant light displays.
The strongest solar storm (geomagnetic storm) in two decades unexpectedly struck Earth on May 10, creating stunning auroras in a variety of colors, including pink, green, and purple, across the skies of Mexico, Southern Europe, and South Africa. However, contrary to the excitement and enjoyment of the public, those tasked with protecting Earth from the impacts of powerful solar storms are concerned that there may be a hidden threat behind those beautiful colors.
Beautiful aurora image in Palencia, Spain, created after the strongest solar storm in 20 years. Image taken from a video by Reuters on May 12, 2024.
Quentin Verspieren, the coordinator of the Space Safety Program at the European Space Agency, emphasized: “We need to understand that behind this beauty lies a danger.”
Sharing this perspective, Mike Bettwy from the U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center stated that scientists are focusing on the potentially more dangerous impacts of solar storms, including the destruction of power grids and satellites, or exposing astronauts to hazardous levels of radiation.
The latest auroras were caused by the strongest solar storm since the “Halloween Storm” in October 2003, which resulted in power outages in Sweden and damaged electrical infrastructure in South Africa. According to Bettwy, although this latest solar storm appears to have caused less damage compared to previous storms, it often takes weeks to fully assess the impact.
In reality, solar storms like the recent one generate electric and magnetic currents that can overload devices such as satellites and power grids. For instance, the worst solar storm in history occurred in 1859, known as the Carrington Event, which caused power stations and many devices to catch fire.
According to scientists, while countries have improved their power grids to prevent prolonged outages like those experienced in Sweden in 2003 or Canada in 1989, to cope with upcoming solar storms, people need to prepare emergency supplies for potential power outages, as well as water in case water treatment plants cease operation.
A solar storm is an energy explosion on the surface of the Sun. They occur due to the release of the Sun’s magnetic field – a network of magnetic field lines surrounding the Sun. These magnetic field lines are typically generated by plasma flows on the Sun’s surface. When these plasma flows collide with each other, they can release a large amount of energy, causing solar storms.
