One “cannibal” solar storm is scheduled to take place this week, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The phenomenon happens when two coronal mass ejections (CMEs), large clouds of charged particles released by the Sun, fuse before reaching Earth’s magnetic fieldcausing stronger geomagnetic than normal.
According to NOAA, the expected activity is level G3 (strong, on a scale that goes up to G5), with a peak between Tuesday night (11) ea Wednesday morning (12).
Under these conditions, Northern lights can be seen in up to 22 US statesincluding in regions where the phenomenon is rare, such as Oregon and the mid-west of the country.
The calls occur when a faster ejection catches up and “swallows” another slower one, generating a “cannibal jet” of particles that intensifies the impact on the Earth’s magnetic field
According to the website, this type of event amplifies shock waves and magnetic fields, making the light show more intense, but can also cause interference to satellites, power and radio communications.
The Sun currently lives the Solar Cycle 25a period of high activity that repeats every 11 years. In the last 24 hours, there were 28 solar flaresincluding an explosion X5.2the most powerful of the year so far.
Astronomers warn that the responsible solar region, AR4274remains unstable and facing Earth, which means that new eruptions may occur in the coming dayskeeping the sky and radars on alert.
