- South Africa's space authority has issued a severe space weather warning warning of possible tripping of major power grid assets and widespread voltage control problems.
- This was issued by the South African National Space Agency as a G4 Global Storm Forecast.
- Five eruptions of material from the Sun's atmosphere are scheduled to hit Earth between Friday evening and Sunday.
- For more financial news, visit: News24 Business top page.
The South African National Space Agency (Sansa) has issued a severe space weather warning warning that a solar storm is about to impact Earth, with the possibility of tripping of critical power grid assets and possible widespread voltage control problems. .
Sansa Space Weather issued a forecast for a severe G4 magnetic storm on Friday afternoon, after spotting three coronal mass ejections and strong solar flares earlier this week. The shock waves from the mass ejection are expected to coalesce before impacting Earth. this is. . .was Posted by Agency on X.
Shortly after this post, News24 received a media release from Sansa explaining that the chance of the storm reaching G4 levels was slim.
“A G1/small to G3/strong magnetic storm is predicted to impact the Earth as these CMEs are likely to combine upon arrival on Earth.Geomagnetic conditions are expected to increase to G4/strong storm on May 11th. There is a slight possibility that it will reach the level of
The U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center had already issued a G4 magnetic storm warning since yesterday.
Coronal mass ejections are the name given to the huge explosions of plasma that sometimes erupt from the Sun, and can send charged particles known as the solar wind toward Earth.
SANSA Update: X2.3 solar flare observed from Active Region 3664 (AR3664). In the African region, frequencies up to 30 MHz in the HF band were affected. Radio absorption was evident in Hermanus's ionogram, and there were no received echoes.follow me @SpaceweatherSA pic.twitter.com/Sowwf8ntZ5
— SANSA Space Weather (@SpaceweatherSA) May 9, 2024
Five eruptions of material from the sun's atmosphere are predicted to occur, starting late Friday and continuing into Sunday.
The culprit is a group of sunspots that are 16 times the width of Earth and visible on the right side of the solar disk. The sun goes through an 11-year cycle of increasing and decreasing dark spots, and is approaching its current peak, which began in December 2019.
The geomagnetic storm situation, previously expected to reach G2/moderate storm level, is now predicted to reach maximum G4/severe storm level. Impacts are expected from late today until tomorrow, May 10th and 11th. This can affect the performance of navigation and communication applications. pic.twitter.com/aPSOsPDzTD
— SANSA Space Weather (@SpaceweatherSA) May 10, 2024
Sansa has a world-class space weather forecasting station in Hermanus. We provide regular updates on new solar activity in X this week.
Sansa initially issued a G2 geomagnetic storm warning, indicating the risk of voltage alarm activation in power systems in high latitudes, where long-lasting storms could cause damage to transformers. This is based on a Sansa guide that deciphers the meaning of various warnings.
Here is the full explanation of the G4 warning on Sansa's website:
Power system: Voltage control problems can be widespread, and some protection systems can accidentally disconnect critical assets from the power grid.
Other systems: Induced pipeline currents affect precautions, HF radio propagation is sporadic, satellite navigation is degraded for several hours, low frequency radio navigation is interrupted, and auroras are observed at low altitudes at 45 degrees geomagnetic latitude. It has been.
Geomagnetic storms can affect near-Earth orbit and surface infrastructure, disrupting communications, power grids, navigation, radio, and satellite operations.
'Super rare'
This is the first time since January 2005 that the U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center has released a G4 magnetic storm observation, the second highest on a five-point scale, as multiple waves of solar energy rain down on Earth.
“A watch of this caliber is extremely rare,” the U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center said.
South Africa's National Space Agency has issued a grim space weather forecast, warning that voltage control problems could be widespread and major power grid equipment could trip. (Sansa/X).
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In October 2003, the Earth was hit by one of the worst G5 storms of its size, damaging transformers in South Africa and causing power outages in Sweden.
The true power of a storm is known about 60 to 90 minutes before it hits Earth, as satellites measure the incoming burst of energy.
Sansa said it will continue to monitor the situation to ensure the government and private sector protect infrastructure.
“The Sun has an 11-year solar cycle from solar minimum to solar maximum. We expect to reach solar maximum in 2025. We expect the frequency to increase. Sansa will continue to monitor and collaborate with its customers and government and private sector stakeholders to ensure they have access to real-time information to best protect their assets. ” said the media statement.
Additional reporting from Bloomberg.
