A solar storm will hit Earth and is likely to disrupt GPS and radio signals.
See also: Mysterious solar storm hits Earth and could last for days
The impact of a “snake-like wave” from the Sun, which Nasa has predicted will occur on July 19, is a “direct hit” according to Dr Tamitha Skov, adding that we should “expect signal interruptions on the night side of Earth.” It is also possible that aurora will be visible in some areas of Earth.
However, it's possible the storm could also come later this week. The G1 category storm, which is "minor" but could affect satellite operations, could hit Earth on July 20 or 21, according to SpaceWeather.
The origin of the storm comes from a coronal mass ejection, a release of plasma and magnetic energy, which was unleashed from the Sun on July 15 by an unstable filament of magnetism. These explosions are capable of releasing 100,000 times more energy than all the power plants on Earth produce in a year.
See also: Solar flare could cause geomagnetic storm on Earth
These storms come as the Sun is in the active phase of the 11-year solar cycle, with incidents like these expected to increase in frequency.
Over the weekend, a huge structure of plasma and magnetic field, known as a "protrusion" broke away from the Sun.
"The sheer size of the protrusion is impressive," says Dr. Sebastian Voltmer, who captured an image of it for SpaceWeather. "It was spectacular to see a very fast-moving part of it being ejected and torn off to the side."
Powerful solar storms can have serious impacts on human activities. Some research shows that satellites have been thrown out of orbit due to increased solar wind activity, and smaller craft, known as CubeSats, have been completely destroyed. The rate of decline for these satellites is 10 times faster than in the past, at a cost of tens of millions of dollars.
See also: The world is not ready to face a solar superstorm
Scientists may have a way to predict these storms: Using the peak rate of increase in sunspot activity as a harbinger of how strong the cycle might be, this could help us protect vulnerable infrastructure, such as power grids, communications equipment and the internet .
