The dark side of the northern lights. You are delighted, others have problems
The aurora borealis was visible across much of Europe and the United States on May 10, 2024. This beautiful phenomenon also has some bad sides. The problems will last at least until Sunday.
What we saw as a beautiful play of light in the sky was the result of solar activity and, consequently, a powerful geomagnetic storm. Specialists assessed that we are dealing with a G5 level weather phenomenon. Such strong activity can cause a number of problems on Earth.
Problems with GPS, electricity and satellite internet
The activity of our star caused the aurora borealis visible in areas where this phenomenon is extremely rare. There are plenty of photos online from Denmark, Great Britain, the Netherlands and even from the south of Germany. On Saturday, May 11, the phenomenon may repeat itself, so it is worth looking at the sky.
Northern Lights Post Obligations – Washington State. The Most Amazing Experience of my Life.
byu/Correct_Presence_936 inspaceporn
Beautiful views, however, come at the cost of electronic problems. Observed in various places problems with the GPS positioning system. Accuracy may decline further in the coming days and is worth keeping in mind if you plan to use navigation.
Starlink satellite internet users They complain about smaller than usual transfers. SpaceX assures that its satellites will withstand the load, but they do not have an easy life right now.
Experts also expect problems with electricity supply. With activity at the G5 level, this is not unusual. However, there is no information about breaks for now.
The problematic storm will continue to rage across the solar system for several more days. Specialists predict problems with the operation of satellite systems and potentially also with energy transmission at least until Sunday, May 12. If the storm intensifies, it could permanently damage equipment in orbit.
The threat of additional strong bursts and coronary emissions will persist until the large sunspot accumulation fades from view over the next few days
– reports the American agency that predicts space weather.
We are currently observing the strongest solar storm in 20 years. The last G5 phenomenon occurred in October 2003. As a consequence, energy supply problems were reported in South Africa and Sweden.
