Moderate Geomagnetic Storm To Hit Earth Today, Says NASA

American space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has said that a geomagnetic storm, triggered by a high-intensity Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) on the Sun, is expected to hit the Earth on Thursday. It might affect the electricity grid, impacting the power supply on Earth. NASA has categorised it as G2 storm.

A CME was identified from the Sun on  April 11, 2022 which might lead to space weather conditions, according to the Centre of Excellence in Space Sciences India. It said that a CME with a speed of roughly 20,69,834 kilometres per hour might reach Earth today on April 14.

"Our model fit indicates a very high probability of Earth impact on April 14, 2022 with speeds ranging between 429-575 km/s. Low to Moderate geomagnetic perturbations are expected. Currently, solar wind and near-Earth space environmental conditions are returning to nominal levels," the CESSI said in a tweet. 

//CESSI SPACE WEATHER BULLETIN//11 April 2022//SUMMARY: QUIET TO MODERATE SPACE WEATHER CONDITIONS// A halo CME was detected by SOHO LASCO on 11 April. Our model fit indicates a very high probability of Earth impact on 14 April, 2022 with speeds ranging between 429-575 km/s + pic.twitter.com/MRFNuLI2hS

— Center of Excellence in Space Sciences India (@cessi_iiserkol) April 11, 2022

What is a Geomagnetic Storm?

According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), it is a major disturbance of Earth's magnetosphere that occurs when there is a very efficient exchange of energy from the solar wind into the space environment surrounding Earth. Variations in the solar wind cause large changes in the currents, plasmas, and fields in Earth's magnetosphere, resulting in these storms.

Sustained (for several to many hours) periods of high-speed solar wind, is one of the key factors that are effective for causing geomagnetic storms. This state is ideal for transmitting energy from the solar wind to the magnetosphere of the Earth.

The geomagnetic storms are categorised between G1 and G5, the latter being the strongest.

Fortunately, the Geomagnetic Storm that is predicted to hit the Earth today is not very intense, but it will probably have repercussions. A G5 geomagnetic storm may theoretically damage satellites, interrupt GPS, mobile phone networks, internet access, and trigger power grid collapse. Voltage fluctuations can also occur, causing electrical appliances to get damaged.