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Solar storm hits Earth, sparking active geomagnetic conditions

solar-storm-hits-earth-sparking-active-geomagnetic-conditions

Image credit: Dustin Ginetz. Taken on July 13, 2020 at Seebe, Alberta, Canada. Via SpaceWeatherGallery

Our Sun launched two solar storms this week, one of which was Earth-directed, Space Weather Physicist Dr. Tamitha Skov reports in her latest space weather forecast released July 14, 2020.

The storm has hit, right on time, and all through the night people have been getting some amazing aurora shots down to mid-latitudes along with comet NEOWISE, as far south as Michigan in the USA.

This solar storm is now waning, but should continue over the next day or so before things return to quiet.

As for our star, it continues to be spotless, which means the solar flux is in the high 60s and radio propagation on Earth's dayside continues to be poor.

However, this low solar flux means GPS reception on the dayside should be pretty good– just be careful on Earth's nightside with the ongoing solar storm.

Especially if you are near aurora or near dawn or dusk, your GPS reception will likely be unreliable.

The Watchers team and our contributors bring the latest on extreme weather, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, space weather, and all things science. We're all about making sense of the natural world and keeping you informed on what’s happening. Got a tip or a question? Hit us up using the form at newstips!

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