Auroras sparkle as massive solar storm strikes Earth, threatening to disrupt satellites, power grids
- The strongest geomagnetic storm in more than 20 years hit Earth, lighting up the night skies from northern Europe and Australasia
- Officials said people should have the normal backup plans in place for power outages, and pigeons and other species that have internal biological compasses could also be affected
The most powerful solar storm in more than two decades struck Earth on Friday, triggering spectacular celestial light shows in skies from Tasmania to Britain – and threatening possible disruptions to satellites and power grids as it persists into the weekend.
The first of several coronal mass ejections (CMEs) – expulsions of plasma and magnetic fields from the sun – came just after 1600 GMT, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Space Weather Prediction Centre.
It was later upgraded to an “extreme” geomagnetic storm – the first since the so-called “Halloween Storms” of October 2003 caused blackouts in Sweden and damaged power infrastructure in South Africa. More CMEs are expected to pummel the planet in the coming days.
Social media lit up with people posting pictures of auroras from northern Europe and Australasia.
“We’ve just woken the kids to go watch the Northern lights in the back garden! Clearly visible with the naked eye,” Iain Mansfield, a think tanker in Hertford, Britain said.
“Absolutely biblical skies in Tasmania at 4am this morning. I’m leaving today and knew I could not pass up this opportunity,” photographer Sean O’ Riordan posted on X (formerly Twitter) alongside a photo.
