An ongoing geomagnetic storm warning was extended until Tuesday after a burst of energetic particles from the Sun reached Earth.
NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) issued a geomagnetic storm warning for Monday night through Tuesday and later extended it through Tuesday night.
The warning was triggered by a coronal mass ejection (CME), charged particles from the Sun reaching Earth’s atmosphere on Monday night.
CMEs usually take about three days to reach Earth after leaving the Sun.
The SWPC evaluates solar storms on a five-level scale, with five being the most extreme and rare space weather conditions.
A minor, level 1 out of 5, geomagnetic storm is possible on Tuesday.
SWPC said it issued a Level 1 warning because the CME “lacks the magnetic field orientation necessary to move above the G1 level.”
Small geomagnetic storms are common.
according to nasaAbout 40 CMEs occurred last week, but most did not cause space weather impacts on Earth.
A small geomagnetic storm could trigger vivid displays of the Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, in Canada and Alaska.
Current space weather forecasts may include effects outside of the Northern Lights, including weak power grid fluctuations.
As Earth enters the new year, there is a possibility of a potentially strong geomagnetic storm.
NOAA and NASA revealed that the Sun reached solar maximum, the period of peak sunspot activity in its 11-year cycle.
However, space weather experts said the peak activity is expected to continue until 2025.
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