A “severe geomagnetic storm” could bring stronger and clearer northern lights southward than usual on Sunday and Monday. The alert comes from the North American Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which monitors solar activity.
When there are solar storms and Coronal mass emission (CME)a wave of particles bombards the Earth's upper atmosphere: the most benign result is the aurora borealis (northern and Australian), but geomagnetic storms can also disrupt electrical systems.
This Sunday NOAA Recorded G4 levels (On a scale from G1 to G5, most serious) – In these cases, the organization notifies “potentially affected infrastructure operators to mitigate potential impacts,” specifically in satellite and GPS operation, but there is no cause for concern “For all people.”
A coronal mass ejection occurred on Friday and the particles arrived in Earth's atmosphere on Sunday afternoon.
The direct result is an expansion of the areas where the aurora can be seen, which in these situations is sometimes visible at much lower latitudes than usual – if weather conditions help and the sky is not covered in clouds.
Ricardo explained that an increase in solar activity has already been predicted this year, as the cycle lasts 11 years and should now reach its peak, leading to “more storms, solar winds and coronal mass ejections – phenomena that lead to the appearance of the aurora borealis.” Gaviera, a researcher at the Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences of the University of Coimbra, at the beginning of the year, to PÚBLICO.
What is the possibility of seeing the northern lights in Portugal? “It is very unlikely, although it could happen, because we are talking about peak solar activity,” said Fernando Pinheiro, a scientist at the Center for Earth and Space Research at the University of Coimbra.
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