A G5 – Extreme geomagnetic storm in May 2024 revealed just how far-reaching space weather can be. From subtle shifts in Earth’s upper atmosphere to radiation spikes on Mars, the event challenged infrastructure, disrupted systems, and gave scientists an enormous archive of data.
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) investigated the significant impacts and scientific insights from the May 2024 G5 – Extreme geomagnetic storm and how it impacted satellite operations and atmospheric activities.
A fast halo coronal mass ejection (CME) produced by the X5.8 solar flare from Region 3664 at 01:23 UTC on May 11, 2024, is expected to merge with the previous in-transit CMEs and impact Earth by 12:00 UTC on May 12.
The first of several incoming coronal mass ejections (CMEs) impacted Earth at around 16:56 UTC on May 10, 2024, rapidly increasing geomagnetic field levels from unsettled to G4 – Severe by 17:44 and to G5 – Extreme by 23:34 UTC — something we haven’t seen since 2003.
