As a solar storm is predicted to strike Earth’s atmosphere on Monday, the planet will encounter the effects of a geomagnetic storm.
According to NASA, a magnetic filament burst from the surface of the sun during a solar storm that occurred on Sunday, ejecting a portion of the sun.
At 1:00 p.m Eastern Time, the coronal mass ejection (CME) will hit the atmosphere of Earth. Geomagnetic storms are created when a CME collides with the magnetosphere of Earth.
Geomagnetic storm intensity is measured by NOAA using a G1 (minor) to G5 (intense) scale. It is predicted that the next solar storm will be G2, with a possibility of G3.
While there is a storm watch in effect, the public shouldn’t be alarmed, but the storm—which NOAA considers to be moderate—might create some technology problems when it hits Earth.
According to NOAA, the collision of the CME might cause problems with GPS, satellites, the electricity grid, and the visibility of northern lights far further south than usual.
CMEs are caused by magnetic activity on the sun’s surface that shoots enormous amounts of solar plasma into space.
Sunspots, or dark regions on the sun’s surface, are the source of CMEs because magnetic field lines frequently create an explosion of energy there.