A
powerful solar storm is expected to hit the Earth within the next 48 hours. The
solar storm, or geomagnetic storm, may severely impact communication
infrastructure across the world including cell phone networks and GPS.

NASA
says that the solar storm is travelling towards the Earth at a velocity of 1.6
million kilometres per hour and may further gain in speed.

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According
to the Space Weather Prediction Centre based out of the United States, the
impact of the solar flare will be centred on the sub-solar point on the sunlit
side of the Earth.

The solar storm that can have a very significant impact
on a region of space dominated by Earth’s magnetic field.

Solar winds are streams of charged particles or plasma
that erupt from the Sun and out into space.

There
is a possibility of a blackout of HF (high frequency) radio communication that relies
on current X-ray flux intensity.  The Space
Weather Prediction Centre has marked the solar flares at X1 level.

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The
storm can cause interference with GPS navigation systems, mobile phone signals
and satellite television. The current in power lines can be high, which can
blow transformers, according to Hindustan Times.

The
storm will also create a beautiful aurora of light which will be visible from
areas closer to the north and south poles.

The
Earth’s magnetosphere is created by its magnetic field which protects it from
particles emitted by the Sun. When a high-speed stream arrives at the Earth it
buffets the magnetosphere.

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If
the arriving solar magnetic field is directed southward, it interacts strongly
with the oppositely oriented magnetic field of the Earth. The Earth’s magnetic
field peels open like an onion allowing energetic solar wind particles to
stream down the field lines to hit the atmosphere over the poles.

At
the surface, a geomagnetic storm is seen as a rapid drop in the Earth’s
magnetic field strength. The decrease lasts for 6–12 hours, after which the
magnetic field recovers gradually.