GPS and radio signals face disruption because of a solar storm that is predicted to hit the Earth today (July 19). Nasa predicts that the impact of a "snake-like filament" will be a “direct hit” that could disrupt signals and be visible in some regions of the planet.
The Independent reports Dr Tamitha Skov, a SpaceWeather physicist, saying that we should “expect signal disruptions on Earth’s nightside”. However, it is possible that the G1-class storm – which is “minor” but could impact satellite operations - could strike later in the week.
The storm originates from a coronal mass ejection, a release of plasma and magnetic energy, which leapt from the Sun last Friday (July 15) by an unstable filament of magnetism. These eruptions are capable of releasing 100,000 times more energy than all the power plants on Earth generate throughout a year.
