Aurora has been spotted across the planet as a series of solar storms strike the Earth.
Photos of the Nothern Lights have been taken in Scotland, in addition to the north of England in Northumberland and are expected in Wales.
The lights, that are brought on by geomagnetic activity from the Sun, have been exacerbated by ‘cannibal’ solar storms headed for Earth.
In recent days, the Sun experienced two coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, during which particles burst out of its surface. These CMEs could cannibalise one another in order that they change into one much more powerful blast.
In addition to these, a series of three other storms is anticipated to hit the planet – having began on the 18th and set to proceed over the weekend.
“The primary in a succession of SIX solar storms is hitting Earth now! NASA/CCMC’s Mary Aronne got this run spot on”, space weather physicist Dr
Tamitha Skov tweeted.
“NOAA/SWPC has the opposite five hitting in machine-gun fashion starting on the 18th. Magnetic field is northward so far but expect aurora to construct soon!”
She added: “Expect sporadic aurora right down to mid-latitudes through August 20. Disruptions to amateur radio expected on Earth’s nightside. GPS reception issues at dawn, dusk & near aurora”.
It is anticipated that the solar storms which can hit the planet will probably be categorised as a G3 class storm, which is described as a “strong” storm. Such events are categorised in a scale running from G1 to G5, with the latter including widespread power system problems and communication shutdowns.
The Sun stays in a very energetic period, with watchers suggesting that the subsequent few days could bring “High” levels of solar activity.
While solar flares are difficult to predict – and may cause huge damage to electrical infrastructure in worst-case scenarios – scientists imagine they will now foresee when they’ll occur.
The maximal growth rate of sunspot activity is a precursor to how powerful the cycle is likely to be and are more accurate when the 2 hemispheres of the Sun are considered individually, somewhat than collectively.
