You may not feel the peak of the solar cycle directly, but you can see its effects on the devices around you.
The phenomenon of the “Northern Lights” – known as the aurora borealis – has recently appeared in the Southern Hemisphere and at relatively low latitudes, combined with intense geomagnetic storms that disrupt radio waves, leading scientists to be increasingly certain that the solar cycle is nearing its peak.
Previously, the “peak” was forecasted to occur in 2025, but there are growing signs that it could happen anytime this year.
In an article on The Conversation, physicist Ian Whittaker from Nottingham Trent University (UK) pointed out four groups of impacts that humanity will face when this occurs.
Aurora caused by geomagnetic storms (solar storms) illuminating a vast area, as captured from the International Space Station (ISS) – (Photo: NASA).
1. Power Systems
At peak times, the sun can produce energy bursts in the form of solar flares, including a massive plasma ball known as a “coronal mass ejection” (CME), which can strike the Earth’s magnetosphere and cause geomagnetic storms.
Geomagnetic storms are disturbances in the magnetic field that can induce electric currents in any conductive material. For modern infrastructure, the largest currents are generated on power lines, railway tracks, and underground pipelines.
Power lines are at the highest risk. This concern was highlighted during the 1989 geomagnetic storm that melted a transformer in Quebec, Canada, causing extensive power outages.
Today, protective measures have been integrated into power plants worldwide, significantly alleviating these concerns.
Historically, in 1859, a super-strong geomagnetic storm known as the Carrington Event devastated telegraph systems across much of North America and Europe, even causing some telegraph operators to be electrocuted. However, today, humanity no longer relies on telegraph systems.
2. Satellites
While ground-level electric currents pose a problem, they are an even greater challenge in space. A sudden electric surge can destroy equipment and communication systems.
When a satellite loses communication in this manner, it is referred to as a zombie satellite and is often completely lost, leading to significant losses.
In 2022, the private aerospace company SpaceX accidentally launched 49 Starlink satellites just as a geomagnetic storm hit, causing 40 of them to fall back into the Earth’s atmosphere and burn up.
3. Positioning
When satellites are affected, it also impacts GPS systems. Therefore, space weather forecasting is crucial in the aerospace industry.
4. Internet – Radio Waves
Similar changes can also affect the bandwidth speed of satellite internet and the planet’s radiation belt – a ring of high-energy charged particles, primarily electrons, located about 13,000 km above the surface.
Moreover, radio waves in certain areas experienced brief interruptions during recent intense geomagnetic storms.
Aurora appearing in the sky over Alaska, USA – (Photo: NASA).
However, you can rest assured that today, humanity has many ways to mitigate the impacts from solar bombardments whenever it reaches the peak of the cycle, including increasingly accurate space weather forecasting.
It can be said that almost everyone can enjoy the aurora – either directly or online – which will be incredibly magnificent in the coming months, with just a few minor inconveniences like occasional telecommunications interference events.
“As a natural event, the aurora is a wonder. But even more wonderful is that with each strong geomagnetic storm, we make improvements to protect against potential damages from future events,” Dr. Whittaker wrote.
