A solar storm could cause a 'direct hit' on Earth, predicts a leading space science expert

There has been a great deal of solar activity lately. Earth was hit by two geomagnetic storms in March 2022, according to U.S. and U.K. weather agencies. 

Though the geomagnetic storm probably did not cause any harm, they have drawn attention to the potential harm that may result from more powerful storms in the future.

There was a geomagnetic storm of the G1 class which caused bright auroras over Canada earlier this month. As a result, no one was able to predict this storm until it was too late. 

Astronomers were concerned about Earth-directed flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) five days ago after an enormous sunspot and filaments appeared on the solar surface. The sun was reported to have erupted in a massive solar flare on Friday, which caused radio blackouts in several parts of the world.

It has been reported that Dr. Tamitha Skov, known as 'Space Weather Woman,' has predicted a direct hit by a solar storm on Tuesday. The news was shared via social media along with a video highlighting NASA's prediction model.

Skov is an award-winning science educator on social media and a research scientist at the federally funded Aerospace Corporation. She wrote on Twitter, 'Direct Hit!'. During Earth's strike zone, a snake-like filament was launched as a big solar storm.'

'NASA predicts an early July 19 impact. There could be strong aurora displays, deep into mid-latitudes,' she said. GPS and amateur radios can be disrupted as well. Following her worrisome tweet, she posted another post that included a video of the sun.

'Snake-like filaments cartwheeled their way off the Sun in a breathtaking ballet,' the science educator wrote in his explanation of the video.

The magnetic field of this Earth-directed solar storm is challenging to predict. If the field is oriented southward, G2-level (possibly G3) conditions might occur! The Sun is currently in an active phase of the solar cycle, which is expected to lead to an increase in incidents such as these.

Now, the question arises: to what extent are they harmful? It is common for them to cause significant blackouts in GPS navigation systems, which can disrupt journeys for small aircraft and ships. Other than that, however, there is little reason for concern.