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Auroras appear in Mohe city, northeast China’s Heilongjiang province, on December 1, 2023. Photo: VCG
Geomagnetic storms are expected to occur from Sunday to Tuesday, and a moderate or even severe storm is likely to occur on Monday, the National Space Weather Monitoring and Early Warning Center of the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) said on Sunday. ). It is expected to cause positioning errors in satellite navigation equipment and cause beautiful auroras, China Central Television reported.
The storm may cause space stations to decrease orbital altitude due to atmospheric drag and will increase the positioning error of satellite navigation equipment. Commercial flights will also face risks of communications disruption and radiation throughout the polar region, according to the CMA.
Aurora enthusiasts may have the opportunity to enjoy beautiful aurora sightings at this perfect time. While for pigeon lovers, the CMA suggested reducing breeding or racing pigeon activities in response to the storm in the coming days.
Although geomagnetic storms are not uncommon, China has been able to forecast and warn affected parties in advance. China has created a standardized and quantitative space weather monitoring, forecasting and early warning operation, and the accuracy of space weather forecasting is at the international advanced level, according to a statement released by the CMA last December during the latest geomagnetic storm. in China.
Coronal mass ejection (CME), a typical solar flare activity, is driven by the strong magnetic field of sunspots, ejecting hundreds of millions or even trillions of tons of coronal material at speeds of hundreds to thousands of kilometers per second. , forming explosive shock waves. that spread rapidly throughout the solar system. After being hit by these shock waves, the Earth’s magnetic field undergoes significant changes in direction and intensity, resulting in geomagnetic storms.
According to the report, the CME process this time took place almost directly in front of Earth, so the ejecta formed a circular surface when viewed from Earth. This type of eruption that expels solar material at high speeds and with great coverage relative to the Earth can cause strong geomagnetic activity.
This storm occurred after the CMA forecast geomagnetic storm activity in November 2023 with auroras appearing in many high-latitude areas of China, including Heilongjiang in northeastern China and Inner Mongolia in northern China. It was also surprisingly observed in Beijing, as it is difficult to witness auroras in lower latitude areas.
Global times
