Severe S4 Solar Radiation Storm Triggers Global Aurora and Tech Alerts

Key facts

• Earth experienced its strongest solar radiation storm in over 20 years, rated S4 (“severe”) on the official space weather scale.
• The storm was driven by a vast eruption of charged particles from the solar atmosphere that slammed into Earth’s magnetosphere.
• Brilliant aurorae appeared far from polar regions, with skywatchers in far-southern U.S. states witnessing curtains of coloured light.
• Airliners flying near the poles were re-routed to lower latitudes to protect passengers and crew from increased radiation.
• Satellite operators placed spacecraft in safe modes to avoid damaging electronics from the storm’s energetic particles.
• India’s Aditya-L1 spacecraft, positioned at the L1 Lagrange point, continuously monitors the Sun’s magnetic fields and particle emissions.
• ISRO states that space weather caused by solar activity can affect satellites, communication, navigation services, and power grid infrastructure on Earth.