Earth is about to get hit by a stream of solar winds emitted by the Sun this weekend. According to a space weather forecasting site, the solar event will affect Earth's magnetic field and possibly cause a stunning light show in the sky.
The report about the approaching solar winds was confirmed by SpaceWeather.com, a website that monitors various cosmic events that can affect Earth.
Approaching Solar Event
According to the site, a minor stream of solar winds is currently approaching Earth. It is expected to hit the planet on Sunday, March 29. As noted by SpaceWeather.com, the approaching solar winds were emitted from a hole located near the southern portion of the Sun's atmosphere. Since the solar emissions are only minor, they are not expected to cause disruptions on Earth.
Instead, the approaching solar winds are expected to create a natural light display in the skies over the Arctic Circle on Sunday. The light show, known as an aurora, occurs when the highly-charged particles from the Sun interact with Earth's magnetic field.
"A minor stream of solar wind is expected to hit Earth's magnetic field on March 29th, possibly sparking auroras around the Arctic Circle," SpaceWeather.com stated. "The gaseous material is flowing from a southern hole in the Sun's atmosphere."
Effects Of Powerful Solar Winds
A solar wind is a plasma that consists of a stream of charged particles. It is ejected from holes in the upper atmosphere of the Sun, also known as the corona. Like other emissions from the Sun, minor solar winds can create beautiful cosmic shows when they hit Earth.
However, if solar emissions are powerful enough, they could cause disruptions in the electrical and communication capabilities of Earth. This means powerful solar emissions could cause widespread power failures and disrupt satellite services such as GPS navigation and communication.
"It's things like logistics, it's things like people not being able to navigate, things like timing systems, emergency services," Mike Willis, the UK Space Agency's Head of Space Safety, said during a conference in 2019 according to Express. "There's also the power grids – one of the impacts of space weather is to create geomagnetic activity which induces currents in long flexible conductors, and these are direct currents."
