Solar storm heading to Earth could disrupt communications and bring northern lights to California

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A geomagnetic storm is heading to Earth, with the possibility to disrupt GPS and communications. It could also bring the northern lights to Northern California, much farther south than is typical.

A different kind of storm could complicate this weekend’s plans. For the first time since January 2005, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has issued a severe geomagnetic storm watch for Friday evening. The category G4 watch from NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center signals the possibility that a concentration of energy flaring from the Sun could disturb our planet’s electromagnetic field once it reaches Earth.

will have more clear information once that solar energy reaches NASA's Advanced Composition Explorer spacecraft, a satellite about 1 million miles from Earth. Yet “even though that sounds like it’s far away . . . it doesn't necessarily give us a ton of lead time,” Bettwy said. Given that solar wind is moving faster than the speed of sound, it will reach Earth only 20 to 45 minutes after passing that 1-million-mile marker in space.

 

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