VOA News | Saturday, May 11, 2024 
Solar storm puts on light show, no serious problems reported

A powerful solar storm put on a skyward light show across the globe overnight but has caused what appeared to be minor disruptions to the electric power grid, communications and satellite positioning systems. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said extreme geomagnetic storm conditions continued Saturday, and there were preliminary reports of power grid irregularities, degradation of high-frequency communications and global positioning systems. But the Federal Emergency Management Agency said that, so far, no FEMA region had reported any significant impact from the storms. The U.S. Department of Energy said Saturday it is not aware of any impact from the storms on electric customers. – Agency predicts flares will continue – NOAA predicted that strong flares would continue through at least Sunday, and a spokeswoman said via email that the agency’s Space Weather Prediction Center had prepared well for the storm. On Saturday morning, SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service said on its website that service had been degraded and its team was investigating. CEO Elon Musk wrote on the social platform X overnight that its satellites were “under a lot of pressure but holding up so far.” Brilliant purple, green, yellow and pink hues of the Northern Lights were reported worldwide, with sightings in Germany, Switzerland, China, England, Spain and elsewhere. In the United States, Friday’s solar storm pushed the…Read more