The next geomagnetic storm is expected to hit Earth on Tuesday

by Tyler Durden

This week’s solar activity report shows that geomagnetic storm monitoring is in effect between May 18-19. Two sunspots facing Earth were identified by NASA’s Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO) satellite, and they could trigger storms as early as Tuesday.

NASA classifies the sunspots as AR2822 and AR2823 which are facing Earth.

Tony Phillips from Space Weather Wrote:

Small G1 geomagnetic storms are possible May 18-19 When a pair of coronal mass ejectors (CMEs) are expected to strike the Earth’s magnetic field.

“The two CMEs left the sun on consecutive days: one from Sunspot AR2822 on May 13, and the other from Sunspot AR2823 on May 14.

“On the individual level, CME institutions appear weak and insignificant; however, they can add up to a geomagnetic storm when they arrive in quick succession on Tuesday.”

Sunspots are mostly harmless, but the resulting solar flares bombarding Earth’s magnetosphere can produce a stunning light show in the sky as the atmosphere is deflected from solar particles. If the geomagnetic disturbance is strong enough, it could disable satellite communications, GPS signal, ground communication equipment, and power grids.

So far, the planetary index K (real-time solar activity provided by Solarham), Which measures the intensity of a geomagnetic storm, shows lower solar activity on Monday morning but is expected to rise on Tuesday.