Space Weather Alert: NOAA Warns of a Solar Radiation Storm With 60% Chance of Hitting the Earth This Week

Just as our planet has yet to fully recover from last week's severe solar storms, scientists are already warning about a new 'perfect storm' that will hit us this week.

Parker Spiral Phenomenon

The Sun has been emitting electromagnetic radiation, which contains large amounts of charged particles. These particles have accelerated in speed and increased in number because of the intense magnetic activity on the Sun's surface.

Charged particles can interact with the Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere and disrupt satellite communications. They can also pose radiation hazards for astronauts in space and interrupt power grids.

As the Sun rotates, the magnetic fields that emerge from it bend as they flow past the planets. This event creates a spiral structure called Parker Spiral. These spirals can catch the charged particles from a solar flare, sending them around back to our planet when they would have otherwise missed the Earth.

Looming Radiation Storm

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports a 60% chance of a solar radiation storm starting tomorrow, with a lower possibility on May 15. The next few days of solar storms are expected to miss the Earth. However, the radiation storms are also predicted to launch their highly charged particles into a curved magnetic field that curls out of the Sun.

According to NOAA forecasters, the magnetic storm responsible for these events still creates the most intense solar flares, called X-class flares. The coming solar radiation this week is different from the geomagnetic storms from giant Sunspot AR3664, which hit the Earth last weekend, as they were a direct hit that was powerful enough to disrupt the magnetosphere of the Earth.

As noted by NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, the geomagnetic storm from the past weekend is expected to persist until May 13 at 5 PM ET. It comes with the possibility of further but weaker power grid fluctuations and adverse effects on satellite operations.

As the week progresses, the Sunspot AR3664 is set to pass through a portion of the Parker Spiral, curving its high-speed radiation onto a path that intersects with the orbit of the Earth. Since our planet is predominantly out of range from any direct hit from the roiling geomagnetic storms, the radiation storms to hit this week will come from a unique feature of the Sun's rotation.

As the Sun rotates, its magnetic field expands outward in a spiral pattern. When ejections from a sunspot like AR3664 hit the right portion of the Parker Spiral, they can cause the charged particles of the solar wind to spray out into the Solar System like a water sprinkler.

NOAA also warns that radio communications on the poles of the Earth could experience 'fades' at specific frequencies. Last May 10, farmers in Nebraska, Minnesota, and other parts of the American Midwest experienced satellite disruptions to GPS equipment, which they depend on for operating their equipment. Many farms currently use GPS to plant crops more efficiently and precisely on straight rows, preventing errors such as overlapping seed beds or gaps of unused soil.