A stream of particles has been released from the sun and scientists believe they will batter Earth’s southern hemisphere. Scientists say the solar storm will hit Earth as early as tomorrow (July 9) or possibly the next day. Experts believe the stream is currently heading through space towards the south of Earth where southern lights are expected. Auroras, which include northern lights – aurora borealis – and southern lights – aurora australis, are caused when solar particles hit the atmosphere.
As the magnetosphere gets bombarded by solar winds, stunning blue lights can appear as that layer of the atmosphere deflects the particles.
Cosmic forecasting website Space Weather said: “A stream of solar wind is expected to reach Earth on July 9-10, bringing with it a slight chance of G1-class geomagnetic storms.
“High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras, especially in the southern hemisphere where winter darkness favours visibility.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has classified the impending solar storm as a G-1 or ‘minor’.
However, the consequences could be far more serious than the appearance of the Northern or Southern Lights.
For the most part, the Earth’s magnetic field protects humans from the barrage of radiation, but solar storms can affect satellite-based technology.
Solar winds can heat the Earth’s outer atmosphere, causing it to expand.
This can affect satellites in orbit, potentially leading to a lack of GPS navigation, mobile phone signal and satellite TV such as Sky.
Additionally, a surge of particles can lead to high currents in the magnetosphere, which can lead to higher than normal electricity in power lines, resulting in electrical transformers and power stations blow outs and a loss of power.
The higher amounts of radiation also leave people vulnerable to cancer.
The Met Office has previously warned that we will face a monumental solar storm in the future, which could knock out Britain’s technology and cost the UK almost £16billion in damages.
The country could be plunged into a blackout because it is not prepared enough for powerful solar storms, the Met Office told ministers.
The weather forecaster believes the UK does not have sufficient infrastructure to prepare ourselves for such an event.
A researcher from the Met Office said: “We find that for a one-in-100-year event, with no space weather forecasting capability, the gross domestic product loss to the United Kingdom could be as high as £15.9bn.
“With existing satellites nearing the end of their life, forecasting capability will decrease in coming years, so if no further investment takes place, critical infrastructure will become more vulnerable to space weather.”
