On April 21, 2023, a coronal mass ejection (CME) erupted from the sun, spewing out a burst of plasma that raced toward Earth at nearly two million miles per hour and generated a severe geomagnetic storm (level 4 out of 5 on NOAA’s space weather G- scale) at 3:26 p.m. EDT on April 23.
Increased solar radiation and associated geomagnetic storms can have various effects:
- They can affect power grids on Earth as well as radio signals and communications systems.
- They can affect our satellite operations and GPS navigation capabilities.
- They can impact astronauts in space, particularly if they are doing a spacewalk. Outside of the Earth's protective atmosphere, the extra radiation they are exposed to may cause radiation poisoning or other harmful health effects.
- They can create spectacular auroras on Earth.
Read more at: NOAA