Geomagnetic Storm Watch Issued

In an update from the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, a G1 class geomagnetic storm is set to impact the Earth on January 15th.

The area of impact is projected to be North of 60 degrees geomagnetic latitude, in a region containing Juneau, Alaska, much of British Columbia, Upper Canada, and Northern Europe. According to The Science Time, “The Earth may shine brighter than usual in the northern tier of the United States, including northern Michigan and Maine. As a result, the aurora may be visible at high latitudes.” Minor power grid oscillations are possible throughout the Northern hemisphere throughout the day and aurora borealis may be visible as far south as Michigan and Maine in the US.

A Highly Active Solar Storm Season

2021-2022 has proven already to be an extremely active Solar cycle with a Coronal Mass Ejection or CME sending a blast of charged solar particles and radiation streaming toward the earth at 2.5 million mph flaring up our auroras and disrupting orbital communications between October 25th-28th and another massive CME blasting the Earth a month later on November 27th.

While both events only created minor disruptions, a head-on blast can be incredibly disruptive like ‘the Carrington Event’ which struck the world in 1859. The Carrington Event was the strongest solar storm in recorded history, during the enormous Coronal Mass Ejection, telegraph lines across the U.S. were knocked out.

History.com records the harrowing tale,

“E.W. Culgan, a telegraph manager in Pittsburgh, reported that the resulting currents flowing through the wires were so powerful that platinum contacts were in danger of melting and “streams of fire” were pouring forth from the circuits. In Washington, D.C., telegraph operator Frederick W. Royce was severely shocked as his forehead grazed a ground wire. According to a witness, an arc of fire jumped from Royce’s head to the telegraphic equipment.”

Today in 2022, with our advanced satellite networks and ground-based observatories, science can only offer a few days warning at most of another Carrington Event. And such an incredible blow from our Sun that realistically reset half the globe to the technological state of the late 1800s and cost the lives of millions.

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