🚨Earth is being hit by a solar storm right now. NOAA has issued a Geomagnetic Storm Watch for this Friday, January 9, as Earth braces for a one-two punch of solar activity: a Coronal Hole High-Speed Stream (CH HSS) and a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME). These solar events launch charged particles and magnetic fields toward our planet — and when they arrive, they can stir up brilliant auroras, disrupt satellite systems, and even cause power grid fluctuations. This storm is forecast to reach G1 on the 5-point space weather scale — considered minor, but still powerful enough to push the Northern Lights farther south than usual. If conditions hold, auroras could be visible as far south as Illinois and Oregon. CMEs are massive bursts of plasma and magnetic field ejected from the Sun’s corona. Some reach Earth in just 15–18 hours, expanding to nearly a quarter of the space between us and the Sun. When they interact with Earth’s magnetic field, they can cause stunning auroral displays — or serious technological issues. Even minor geomagnetic storms can disrupt satellite communications, interfere with GPS accuracy, and affect spacecraft electronics. In more extreme cases, they’ve been known to induce currents in power lines strong enough to damage transformers. The storm arriving this week is not expected to match the strength of the late 2025 event that lit up skies across the U.S. — but it’s another reminder that space weather isn’t science fiction. It’s happening, and it’s headed our way. 📸Credit: SDO

🚨Earth is being hit by a solar storm right now. NOAA has issued a Geomagnetic Storm Watch for this Friday, January 9, as Earth braces for a one-two punch of solar activity: a Coronal Hole High-Speed Stream (CH HSS) and a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME). These solar events launch charged particles and magnetic fields toward our planet — and when they arrive, they can stir up brilliant auroras, disrupt satellite systems, and even cause power grid fluctuations. This storm is forecast to reach G1 on the 5-point space weather scale — considered minor, but still powerful enough to push the Northern Lights farther south than usual. If conditions hold, auroras could be visible as far south as Illinois and Oregon. CMEs are massive bursts of plasma and magnetic field ejected from the Sun’s corona. Some reach Earth in just 15–18 hours, expanding to nearly a quarter of the space between us and the Sun. When they interact with Earth’s magnetic field, they can cause stunning auroral displays — or serious technological issues. Even minor geomagnetic storms can disrupt satellite communications, interfere with GPS accuracy, and affect spacecraft electronics. In more extreme cases, they’ve been known to induce currents in power lines strong enough to damage transformers. The storm arriving this week is not expected to match the strength of the late 2025 event that lit up skies across the U.S. — but it’s another reminder that space weather isn’t science fiction. It’s happening, and it’s headed our way. 📸Credit: SDO