(PresidentialHill.com)- Scientists say that a giant solar storm is projected to slam into Earth, the Daily Caller reported. The “cannibal” coronal mass ejection is a strong geomagnetic storm that can potentially cause issues for satellite navigation and internet.
The first “dark plasma explosion” was discovered last week coming from the sun’s surface as it reached a speed of 1.3 million miles per hour. As it tore from the sun it created a coronal mass ejection (CME) which is reportedly “a massive jet of solar material.”
Another coronal mass ejection was reported last week after the collapse of magnetic filament. Two coronal mass ejections combined create the “cannibal CME” which can hit Earth as a powerful G3 geomagnetic storm. The storms rank from G1-G5 “when planets with strong magnetic fields, like Earth, absorb the superfast solar debris from CMEs.”
While Daily Caller reports that the storm can bring about colors of the aurora to states like Illinois and Oregon, it can also bring about technological disruptions for satellite navigation and the internet. Because the geomagnetic storms can increase drag, satellites can lose altitude, but in the most severe cases, the storms can disrupt internet globally.
Earlier this month, NASA issued a warning that solar flares could cause problems on Earth, impacting GPS signals, power grids, satellite electronics and radio communication. Solar eruptions, according to NASA’s website, are giant explosion from the sun that emit energy, light and high-speed particles into space.
Scientists say that solar activity has not yet hit its peak this year but has surpassed expectations, warning us that astronauts in space could also be at risk, and health concerns exist for airplane passengers and flight crews.
“Solar events will continue to increase as we near solar maximum in 2025, and our lives and technology on Earth, as well as satellites and astronauts in space, will be impacted,” said Nicola Fox, rector of NASA’s Heliophysics Division.
