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Solar storm ‘frying' Starlink satellites: Elon Musk

SpaceX owned satellite internet provider, Starlink, Saturday asked the world to get prepared for 'degraded service' as the solar storm is frying the astral objects.

Saturday May 11, 2024 8:28 PM, ummid.com News Network

[Images and videos shared on different social media platforms show northern light dazzling the sky in parts of the United States and United Kingdom following the solar storm.]

Los Angeles: SpaceX owned satellite internet provider, Starlink, Saturday asked the world to get prepared for 'degraded service' as the solar storm is frying the astral objects.

The SpaceX said this as the Earth was currently caught in the eye of a severe geomagnetic storm sparked by high-intensity solar flares the Sun is lashing the entire Solar system with.

The geomagnetic storm, the biggest in two decades, may persist over the weekend and would be hard on navigation systems, power grids, and satellite navigation among other services.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk in post on social media platform X said the solar storm is frying Starlink satellites. He however said that despite intense pressure, the satellites are holding up so far.

“Major geomagnetic solar storm is happening right now. Biggest in a long time. Starlink satellites are under a lot of pressure, but holding up so far,” Musk wrote on X, originally launched as Twitter.

Starlink owns the majority of the satellites in orbit and uses inter-satellite laser links to provide internet coverage around the globe.

Storm alert issued

Earlier, media reports said that n unusually strong solar storm hitting Earth this weekend could produce northern lights and potentially disrupt power and communications in parts of the United States.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a rare severe geomagnetic storm warning when a solar outburst reached Earth on Friday afternoon, hours sooner than anticipated. The effects were due to last through the weekend and possibly into next week, according to the Associated Press.

NOAA alerted operators of power plants and spacecraft in orbit to take precautions, as well as the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“For most people here on planet Earth, they won’t have to do anything,” said Rob Steenburgh, a scientist with NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center.

Northern Lights

Images and videos shared on different social media platforms show northern light dazzling the sky in parts of the United States and United Kingdom following the solar storm.

Reindeer beneath the Northern Lights.

Aurora Borealis Observatory
pic.twitter.com/inNvFgbQpm

— Earth (@earthcurated) May 12, 2024

Media reports said from Scotland's rolling hills to the bustling streets of London, Wales, and England, the UK's night sky offered a once-in-a-lifetime experience, leaving Britons in awe, because of the northern lights.

Experts note that these lights are typically most visible around the poles, where the magnetic field is strongest. However, when electrically charged particles from the Sun collide with Earth's magnetic surface, it results in an even more spectacular display than usual.

 

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