On weekends, geomagnetic storms are sweeping across the world!
On May 10th local time, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States issued the highest level geomagnetic storm warning. Geomagnetic storms can affect certain infrastructure in near Earth orbit and the Earth's surface, potentially interfering with communication, power grids, navigation, radio, and satellite operations, as well as triggering auroral phenomena.
Regarding this, SpaceX CEO Musk posted that a major geomagnetic storm is currently occurring, which is the largest in a long time. The Star Chain satellite is facing great pressure, but so far it has been able to withstand it.
In addition, at 9:00 am Beijing time on May 11th, the National Space Weather Monitoring and Warning Center issued a red warning for geomagnetic storms. So, what exactly is a geomagnetic storm? Will it ultimately affect human health? Let's take a look at the detailed report together!
The United States issues the highest level geomagnetic storm warning
According to Xinhua News Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States issued a severe geomagnetic storm (G5 level) warning on the 10th, stating that the impact of geomagnetic storms caused by solar coronal mass ejections on the Earth will continue from the 10th to the 12th. This is the first time since October 2003 that the agency has issued the highest level G5 geomagnetic storm warning.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States stated that as of now, at least 7 solar coronal mass ejections have been observed during this geomagnetic storm, and the first batch of ejected materials arrived on Earth at noon Eastern Time on the 10th. At present, geomagnetic storms are still ongoing, and the space weather forecast center of the management agency will continue to monitor the relevant progress.
This space weather forecast center divides geomagnetic storms into five levels from weak to strong: G1 (weak), G2 (moderate), G3 (strong), G4 (severe), and G5 (extremely strong). The director of the organization, Clinton Wallace, said, "This geomagnetic storm will be an unusual and potentially historic event." The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States stated that geomagnetic storms can affect certain infrastructure in near Earth orbit and the Earth's surface, potentially interfering with communication, power grids, navigation, radio, and satellite operations, and may also trigger auroral phenomena.
According to CNN, science educator and engineer Bill Nye said that this large-scale solar storm could bring "real danger", especially in a modern world that relies so heavily on electricity. He warned that the increase in solar flares and coronal mass ejections could disrupt communication on Earth until the weekend. Solar flares will almost immediately affect communication and global positioning systems, as they can damage the Earth's ionosphere or some upper atmosphere. The high-energy particles released by the sun can also damage electronic devices on spacecraft and affect unprotected astronauts within 20 minutes to several hours.
Bill Nye stated that in developed countries, no one can live for a long time without electricity. He pointed out that there are some systems that can minimize the impact, but "things can go wrong" and emphasized that not all transformers can withstand such events. He said, "It depends on the intensity of the activity, and also on how much our infrastructure is prepared for such things."
Musk responds to the "Star Chain" state
In response to the impact of geomagnetic storms, in the early morning of May 11, Musk, CEO of SpaceX, said on the social media X platform that SpaceX's satellite Internet project, StarLink, was under great pressure.
Musk said, "A major geomagnetic storm is currently occurring, which is the largest in a long time. The 'Star Chain' satellite is facing great pressure, but so far it has been able to withstand it."
A few days ago, Musk stated at the global conference of the Milken Institute in Los Angeles that his space exploration technology company (SpaceX) does not use artificial intelligence (AI).
Musk believes that over 99% of intelligence will ultimately be "digital" rather than "biological", but the current version of AI systems cannot meet the needs of SpaceX. Musk said, "I will ask it some questions about the 'Fermi paradox', rocket engine design, and electrochemistry. So far, AI has performed poorly on all of these issues. So there is still a long way to go."
Musk said that even SpaceX's satellite Internet project StarLink does not use AI, "I am not opposed to using it. However, we have not seen any use of it yet." Musk also said, "I really think that it is very important that we build AI in a way that is conducive to human beings. AI should not be taught to lie, and should not be taught to say untrue words."
It is worth noting that Musk's Tesla factory has had another accident in Germany. On May 10th local time, local police in Germany issued a statement stating that multiple environmentalists attempted to break into Tesla's super factory to protest the company's expansion plan, and the conflict resulted in multiple arrests. On that day, Tesla's stock price fell by 2%.
Since May 8th, opponents have been calling for action against Tesla's factory, as Tesla plans to expand its only factory in Germany and Europe. German media reported that over 1000 people registered to participate in the protest, with some protesters implementing a sit in blockade and others resisting the cordon. The protest is expected to continue until Sunday.
Since the end of February, nearby climate activists have been protesting against Tesla's expansion plan and its deforestation activities. The police are concerned about the possibility of another attack. More than two months ago, a high-voltage tower near Tesla's factory was damaged by arson, causing production to come to a halt.
China issues a red warning for geomagnetic storms
The National Space Weather Monitoring and Warning Center issued a red geomagnetic storm warning at 9:00 am on May 11, 2024: geomagnetic storms will occur from 23:00 Beijing time on May 10, 2024, with the maximum level reaching the level of a super geomagnetic storm (Kp=9). It is expected that the geomagnetic storm process will continue in the next 24 hours, and there may still be geomagnetic storms in the future.
Affected by geomagnetic storms, the ionosphere in most areas of China will experience disturbances, and shortwave communication and navigation positioning will be affected to varying degrees; The significant increase in atmospheric density in the upper atmosphere will lead to intensified attenuation of low orbit satellite orbits. Please pay attention to the follow-up effects mentioned above. The National Space Weather Monitoring and Warning Center will closely monitor the development of the event and timely release forecast and warning information.
So, what exactly is a geomagnetic storm? It is understood that geomagnetic storms are a typical solar burst activity. When the sun erupts, a coronal mass ejection occurs, which can eject billions of tons of solar material from the surface of the sun at speeds of hundreds to kilometers per second. These substances not only include the kinetic energy formed by the convergence of massive mass and velocity, but also carry the powerful magnetic field energy of the sun. Once they hit the Earth, they will trigger changes in the direction and magnitude of the geomagnetic field, known as geomagnetic storms.
A geomagnetic storm is actually a disturbance of the Earth's magnetic field, which drives the movement of particles in the upper atmosphere of the Earth to intensify, ultimately causing the overall atmosphere to heat up and expand towards higher space, thereby causing greater flight resistance to spacecraft flying in space and threatening their safety in orbit.
During geomagnetic storms, the ionosphere often experiences strong disturbances, which can interfere with ground communication and satellite signals, potentially affecting the accuracy of navigation satellite systems and the signal quality of mobile phones and satellite TVs.
Strong geomagnetic storms may have an impact on power transmission systems, increasing the current load on transmission lines, and sometimes even causing damage to transformers or other grid facilities, leading to power outages.
Recently, topics such as solar flares and geomagnetic storms have been constantly trending and attracting attention and discussion. Some people are concerned that geomagnetic storms can affect human health. In fact, according to current research, geomagnetic storms have almost no impact on the health of ordinary people. Previously, rumors circulating online that geomagnetic storms cause insomnia, drowsiness, palpitations, and irritability were just rumors or jokes about geomagnetic storms, which is not scientific.
However, strong geomagnetic activity may affect the migration and navigation abilities of animals. For example, for carrier pigeons that rely on solar and geomagnetic navigation, the impact is relatively significant. It is best not to release pigeons during geomagnetic storms, as pigeons navigate through the geomagnetic field and are highly affected by it.
Geomagnetic storms often bring auroral phenomena. Affected by geomagnetic storms, brilliant auroras appeared in many parts of the world from the evening of May 10th to the early morning of May 11th.