The Spanish Space Agency (AEE) has warned operators of space and land infrastructure this Sunday to «maintain vigilance» and «update forecasts with the most recent data from international agencies» after recording intense solar activity caused by a high-speed coronal mass ejection.
«During the last hours, intense solar activity has been recorded caused by a high-speed coronal mass ejection (CME), associated with a solar flare of class M8.2 originating in active region AR4100. This CME impacted the Earth’s magnetosphere during the early hours of today, June 1, reaching a geomagnetic index Kp 8 (severe storm level) between 06:00 and 09:00 UTC,» the AEE stated in a press release, as reported by Europa Press.
It further explained that, based on the Kp scale –used to measure global geomagnetic activity and expressed in values from 0 to 9– current conditions «have slightly moderated», with Kp oscillating around 7.3″, although prediction models indicate «a high probability» of activity intensifying in the next 24 hours.
The European Space Agency (ESA), of which Spain is a member through the AEE, continues to actively monitor the event through its space weather services network and, for now, «no danger situation is foreseen», which could occur if the Kp index reaches the extreme level of 9.
«A G4 GEOMAGNETIC STORM»
According to the Space Weather Prediction Center of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the ESA, the event has been classified as «a G4 level geomagnetic storm on a scale ranging from G1 (minor) to G5 (extreme).»
«This type of phenomenon can have various effects, including disturbances in high-latitude power grids, disruptions in high-frequency radio communications, potential temporary errors in satellite navigation systems, and transient effects on low Earth orbit satellites due to increased thermospheric density,» it emphasized.
However, as communicated by the AEE, «no significant anomalies have been reported by satellite operators so far.» «The AEE, through the ESA, will continue to gather information through detailed monitoring of the situation to assess any changes that may occur,» it concluded.