The Space Weather Prediction Center, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has issued a forecast regarding unstable geomagnetic conditions around Earth on August 6 and 7.
The cause of this phenomenon is a “solar gun” that has turned towards Earth. This is a large sunspot capable of releasing solar flares that can trigger geomagnetic storms, and even a massive plasma ball known as a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME).
On August 6 and 7, Earth’s magnetosphere may be “hit.” These plasma bursts will cause magnetic field disturbances, and according to NOAA, auroras are certain to occur, although it is not yet confirmed whether this will develop into a full-scale geomagnetic storm.
One side of the Sun, facing Earth – (Photo: SDO/NASA)
Attacks from this explosive star may cause various issues for human systems, specifically targeting power grids and navigation systems. At the very least, it will disrupt shortwave radio communications in some areas, and in more severe cases, it could hinder aircraft navigation or even cause satellites to “fall.”
According to Dr. Dean Pesnell from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), the Sun is constantly vibrating due to convective bubbles colliding with its surface. These hot and cool bubbles continuously rise and fall, moving energy around and causing pulsations that can be recorded by the SDO.
The strong magnetic fields from the sunspots slow down these oscillations, allowing the SDO to track these sunspots even when they are not facing Earth, thus assisting space observation agencies worldwide in forecasting space phenomena.
This weekend, a sunspot is expected to rotate towards Earth, providing the basis for predictions regarding potential cosmic “hits.”
