Intense solar activity in 2024 will mean stunning aurora events but possible disruption to electric grids
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Something big, and very, very hot, is bubbling and brewing 147 million kilometres away from our planet, and astronomers have concluded that it’s going to be at its peak of activity next year. And, despite the enormous distances involved, we might experience the consequences here on Earth.
We are, of course, talking about the Sun. It turns out that the Sun is kind of moody, and every now and then, it gets itself into such a rage that it starts chucking out huge balls of plasma, an activity that astronomers call coronal mass ejections but that the rest of us would describe as throwing your toys out of the pram. These moments of particularly strong solar activity, which is known as the solar maximum, happen roughly every eleven years. Astronomers have announced that between about January to October 2024 the solar cycle will be at its solar maximum and that it will be both stronger and longer lasting than recent such events.
But how does an event occurring 147 million kilometres away possibly affect us on Earth? Well, for the most part, it doesn’t impact us too much unless it’s a particularly strong solar maximum such as the upcoming one. When a solar maximum occurs, it creates solar storms that produce solar wind. When that wind hits the Earth’s atmosphere, it can distort the magnetosphere, a protective magnetic bubble encircling the world. If that magnetosphere is squashed, then it can affect electrical grids, GPS signals, and satellite movements. For 12 hours in 1989, the electrical grid for the entire province of Quebec in Canada was knocked out thanks to a powerful solar flare.
However, this upcoming solar maximum isn’t all bad news. Periods of heightened solar activity – with associated major solar storms – tend to lead to stronger aurora events that last longer and can occur at much lower latitudes than normal. In other words, thanks to the sun being in a bit of a mood, we can expect much more vivid displays of both the northern lights and the southern lights and, when conditions are ideal those of us living far from the polar regions might still be able to make out this celestial light show. In previous periods of strong solar activity, auroras have been recorded in as unlikely locations as southern Spain and Texas!
The recent solar storms of 2024
The biggest solar storm to hit the Earth in more than twenty years occurred in May 2024, leading to the northern lights being viewed from Mexico and Florida, as well as London. Even in low latitudes – like southern India and southern US – the auroras were viewed, with those strongest reported on the evening of 10th May.
In advance of the storm, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center sent notifications alerting power grid operators to potential disruptions. Some NASA spacecraft powered down or entered safe modes to ensure that any impacts were mitigated.
Researchers are currently assessing whether the May 2024 solar storm is one of the lowest-latitude aurora sightings reported in the last five centuries.
And just last month, another severe solar storm happened, with scientists believing it will eventually bring the northern lights even further south than before.
