Recently, geomagnetic storms have swept the screen around the world!
According to CCTV financial reports, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States issued a strong geomagnetic storm warning on the 10th, which is the first time that the agency has issued the highest level (G5) geomagnetic storm warning since October 2003. Geomagnetic storms of this magnitude can affect power grids, satellites, and communications facilities, and even cause failures.
"This geomagnetic storm is unusual"
According to Xinhua News Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States issued a very strong geomagnetic storm (G5 level) warning on the 10th, and the impact of geomagnetic storms caused by solar coronal mass ejections on the earth will last from the 10th to the 12th.
According to a report by Xinhua News Agency on May 11, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States said that at least seven solar coronal mass ejections have been observed in this geomagnetic storm, and the first batch of ejective materials has arrived on Earth at noon on the 10th Eastern Time. The geomagnetic storm is still ongoing, and the Authority's Space Weather Prediction Center will continue to monitor progress.
The Space Weather Prediction Centre classifies geomagnetic storms from weak to strong into five categories: G1 (weak), G2 (moderate), G3 (strong), G4 (severe) and G5 (very strong). Clinton Wallace, the agency's director, said: "This geomagnetic storm will be an unusual and potentially historic event. ”
This is the aurora taken in Osenisse, Netherlands, on May 10, 2024. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Meng Dingbo
Musk warns that 'Starlink' is experiencing a "service degradation"
In response to the impact of geomagnetic storms, in the early morning of May 11, Musk, CEO of SpaceX, posted on the social media platform X that SpaceX's satellite Internet project "StarLink" (StarLink) is under great pressure.
Musk said, "There is currently a major geomagnetic storm, the largest in a long time." The Starlink satellites are under a lot of pressure, but so far they have been able to hold up. ”
According to CCTV Finance, Musk warned that the "Starlink" network is experiencing a "service degradation", but did not provide further details. It is reported that "Starlink" is a major participant in the satellite Internet, accounting for about 60% of the number of satellites orbiting the earth in the world, and it uses an inter-satellite laser link to transmit data to each other in space at the speed of light, so that the network can cover the whole world. If satellites are affected, navigation and communication services on Earth may be disrupted.
Just a few days ago, Musk said at the Milken Institute global conference in Los Angeles that his space exploration technology company (SpaceX) essentially does not use artificial intelligence (AI), according to the Securities Times.
Musk believes that more than 99% of intelligence will eventually be "digital" rather than "biological", but the current version of the AI system does not meet SpaceX's needs. Musk said, "I'll ask it some questions about the 'Fermi paradox,' rocket engine design, electrochemistry." So far, AI has performed poorly on all of these issues. So there's still a long way to go. ”
The National Space Weather Monitoring and Warning Center has issued a red warning for geomagnetic storms
On the morning of May 11, the National Space Weather Monitoring and Warning Center issued a red warning for geomagnetic storms: geomagnetic storms occurred from 23 o'clock on the 10th, Beijing time, and the maximum level reached the level of super geomagnetic storms (Kp=9), and it is expected that in the next 24 hours, the magnetic storm process will continue, and geomagnetic storms may still occur in the future.
From the evening of the 10th to the early morning of the 11th, a particularly geomagnetic storm erupted in the earth's magnetic field, and gorgeous auroras appeared in Altay in Xinjiang, Xilinhot in Inner Mongolia, and Mohe in Heilongjiang.
Among them, a rare red aurora appeared in Altay, Xinjiang, and a large number of meteors streaked across the sky. According to the Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the aurora phenomenon in the Altay region is the strongest observed in the local area in recent years.
What is a geomagnetic storm? How big is the impact?
According to CCTV News, geomagnetic storms are a typical type of solar eruptive activity. When the Sun erupts, coronal mass ejections occur, and a single ejection can throw hundreds of millions of tons of solar material off the surface of the Sun at high speeds of hundreds to thousands of meters per second. These substances not only contain the kinetic energy of the massive mass and velocity, but also carry the powerful magnetic energy of the sun. Once they hit the Earth, they trigger a change in the direction and magnitude of the geomagnetic field, known as a geomagnetic storm.
Auroras are actually "by-products" of geomagnetic storms. After the coronal material carries the energy of the sun and meets the earth, part of it will enter the poles with the earth's magnetic field and collide with the atmosphere at an altitude of 100-400 kilometers above the ground, and the impact process is accompanied by energy exchange. After being absorbed by the extranuclear electrons of atmospheric atoms and molecules, these energies are quickly released, and the result of the release is luminescence.
When a geomagnetic storm erupts, short-wave communication and navigation and positioning in most parts of the continent will be affected to varying degrees.
- Aerospace
Geomagnetic storms are actually the disturbance of the earth's magnetic field, which will drive the movement of particles in the earth's upper atmosphere to intensify, and eventually cause the atmosphere as a whole to be heated and expand and spread to higher space, thereby causing greater flight resistance to spacecraft flying in space and threatening the safety of spacecraft in orbit.
- Navigational communication
During geomagnetic storms, the ionosphere tends to be strongly disturbed, which can interfere with terrestrial communications and satellite signals, which can affect the accuracy of navigation satellite systems, as well as the signal quality of mobile phones and satellite television.
- Power system
Intense geomagnetic storms can have an impact on the power transmission system, increase the current load on the transmission line, and sometimes even cause damage to transformers or other grid facilities, causing power outages.
- aspects of life
The impact on the daily life and health of the public is negligible, and there is no need for protection. However, strong geomagnetic activity may affect the animal's ability to migrate and navigate. For example, for carrier pigeons that are navigated by the sun and geomagnetism, the impact is greater.
Source丨CCTV News, Xinhua News Agency, CCTV Finance, Securities Times