The Earth was suddenly impacted by a massive solar geomagnetic storm at 5 AM on September 27 (Vietnam time), and the cause remains unclear.
At around 5 AM on September 27 (Vietnam time), the Space Weather Prediction Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA – SWPC) issued a warning: the Earth’s magnetic field is being affected by several solar activities.
Image of a solar flare – (Photo: SHUTTERSTOCK).
Within a few hours, the SWPC updated the warning to indicate a geomagnetic storm, with the K-index at level 5, which later increased to K7 by the end of September 27 (Vietnam time), according to Newsweek.
The K-index is a physical measure of the strength of geomagnetic storms. It results from solar activity disrupting the Earth’s magnetic field, leading to issues such as power grid problems and radio signal interruptions. A K-index below 4 is typically not significant, while a K-index of 9 would indicate an extremely rare solar event.
SWPC stated that the K7 storm warning would remain in effect until the end of September 27 (Vietnam time).
According to SpaceWeather, it is still unclear where this coronal mass ejection (CME) originated. It may have been one of two CMEs that left the Sun on September 23. However, both CMEs were predicted not to impact Earth.
In reality, this was not a direct solar geomagnetic storm hitting the Earth.
Dr. Erika Palmerio, a scientist at Prediction Science Inc., a solar energy research company, tweeted: “Something is forming in the solar wind near Earth. It is currently unclear if there is a stealth factor involved. The CME is lurking to sneak up on Earth!”
By the end of September 27 (Vietnam time), Dr. Palmerio noted that the geomagnetic storm appeared to have subsided.
Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are bursts of plasma and magnetic fields expelled from the Sun’s atmosphere. Strong instances typically occur when the Sun’s twisted magnetic field lines suddenly shift and rearrange, causing a sudden release of energy.
Another potential cause of the recent activity may be a high-speed solar wind stream. This is a fast solar wind escaping from an open area of the Sun’s magnetic field known as a coronal hole.
Both phenomena can cause geomagnetic storm effects on Earth.
