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Earth has just feel its most powerful geomagnetic storm in more than 20 years after a series of solar storm smashed into our planet . The extraordinary upshot triggered vibrant break of the day displays as far south as Florida and caused power power system unregularity as well as temporary artificial satellite issues .
The lengthy disturbance to Earth ’s charismatic field , which lasted from Friday ( May 10 ) to the other hour of Monday ( May 13 ) , started whenat least five solar storms , have intercourse ascoronal mass ejections(CMEs ) , slammed into our planet ’s protective field one after the other . These CMEs were launch into space last hebdomad bysolar flaresfrom a single , massive sunspot , identify AR3664 , which ismore than 15 times wider than Earth . A majority of these flares were X - class — the most powerful type of surface explosions the Sunday is capable of producing .
Vibrant auroras, like these above the Austrian alps, were visible across large parts of the world between May 10 and May 12.
The CME bombardment temporarily weakened Earth ’s protective landing field , which enabled charged particles from the sun to penetrate deep into the atmosphere and sex molecule of gas . These in turn triggered vibrant , multicolored auroras at latitudes much farther from Earth ’s polar regions than normal . In the Northern Hemisphere , auroras lit up the sky as far south as Florida , Mexico and Puerto Rico , as well as across parts of Europe , according toSpaceweather.com . interchangeable visible radiation shows were also spotted at equally strange latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere .
Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ’s Space Weather Prediction Center ( SWPC ) had prefigure that the violent storm would be a " spartan " G4 perturbation — the second - high class of geomagnetic storms . However , the disturbance exceeded initial expectations and briefly reached " uttermost " G5 condition at least doubly over the weekend , first on May 10 and again on May 11 , according toSWPC statements . This is the same category as the infamousCarrington Event of 1859and is the first time Earth has experienced G5 experimental condition since theGreat Halloween storms of 2003 .
In theory , G5 storm cansend satellites tumbling to Earth , damage terra firma - based infrastructureand pink out great power grids . However , in this case , the worst effects seem to have been some minor " power grid irregularity " and temporary disruptions to GPS and other satellite services , according to the SWPC .
At least five Earth-directed CMEs exploded from AR3664 in less than 48 hours last week.
Related : Aurora photograph : arresting northerly lights glisten after biggest geomagnetic storm in 21 years
G5 - class storms are rare but are more likely to occur during solar maximum — the most active phase of the Dominicus ’s roughly 11 - class solar cycle . scientist ca n’t pinpoint exactly when this catamenia begins in real time , but several expert believewe have already entered solar level best .
antecedently , the solar maximum was forecast to arrive at some item next year and be weak compared with former solar cycle . However , as the solar wheel shape up it became readable that the maximum wouldarrive sooner — and be more powerful — than initially expected .
AR3664 was around the same size as the Carrington sunspot, which birthed the most powerful solar storm to hit Earth in recorded history.
Over the weekend , AR3664 , which is around the same size as theCarrington macula , spit out another two ten - socio-economic class solar flares , including an X5.89 - order of magnitude gust on May 11 — the second - most powerful blast of the current solar cycle . This brings the macula ’s disco biscuit - form flare numeration to seven , making it by far the most active macula of the current cycle per second so far , grant toSpaceWeatherLive.com .
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At least one of these extra ten - class flares launch a CME , which was ab initio predicted to remove Earth and perchance extend the weekend ’s geomagnetic storm deep into Monday ( May 13 ) . But further observations register that this CME is not directed at Earth , Spaceweather.com reported . AR3664 is now turning further off from our planet and is unbelievable to bombard us with solar violent storm again .
