The impact of a “snake-like filament” from the Sun, which Nasa predicts will occur on July 19, will be a “direct hit” according to Dr Tamitha Skov, adding that we should “expect signal interruptions in the night side of the Earth”. It is also possible that the aurora will be visible in some areas of the Earth. However, the storm is likely to come later this week as well. The G1 storm — which is “minor” but could affect satellite operations — could hit Earth on July 20 or 21, according to SpaceWeather. The origin of the storm comes from a coronal mass ejection, a release of plasma and magnetic energy, which jumped from the Sun on July 15 from an unstable filament of magnetism. These explosions are capable of releasing 100,000 times more energy than all the power plants on Earth produce in a year. These storms come as the Sun is in the active phase of its 11-year solar cycle, with events like these expected to increase in frequency. Over the weekend, a massive structure of plasma and magnetic field known as a “prominence” broke away from the Sun. “The sheer size of the bulge is impressive,” Dr. Sebastian Voltmer, who captured an image of it, tells SpaceWeather. “It was spectacular to see a very fast-moving section of it being ejected and detached to the side.” Strong solar storms can have serious effects on human activities. Some research shows that satellites have left their orbits due to increased solar wind activity, and smaller craft, known as CubeSats, have been completely destroyed. Altitude reduction for these satellites is 10 times faster than in the past, at a cost of tens of millions of dollars. Scientists may have a way to predict these storms, using the maximum rate of increase in sunspot activity is a harbinger of how strong the cycle might be, and this could help us protect vulnerable infrastructure like power grids, communication equipment and internet.
