Northern lights, GPS disruptions… what consequences in France of the severe geomagnetic storm which is about to hit the Earth ?

Des aurores boréales pourraient être visibles en France ce week-end MAXPPP – Andrzej Sidor/Forum

A major solar flare, observed this Wednesday, May 8, will cause a "severe" geomagnetic storm. on Earth this weekend. Northern lights will be visible.

A severe geomagnetic storm level 4, the second highest level, is expected to hit Earth this weekend according to the US Space Weather Prediction Center. It’s the first time since January 2005 that such a strong alert has been issued by this organization indicates La Voix du Nord.

"At least five Earth-directed coronal mass ejections have been observed" around May 8 and the first will arrive from Friday evening. Disruptions to the power grid, GPS systems and high-frequency radios are possible. Spacecraft can also be disrupted.

These coronal mass ejections correspond to "gigantic cloud of solar plasma which are expelled from the Sun during strong solar flares or eruptions of solar filaments& ;quot;, explains Space Weather Live. When they reach land, a geomagnetic storm occurs, causing the Northern Lights.

Aurora in the North of France ? 

"This is an exceptional opportunity for sky observers located at mid-to-low latitudes. see auroras from places where they are not normally visible. Under optimal conditions, we could see auroras at latitudes as low as San Francisco, Dallas and Atlanta. In Europe, even northern France and southern Germany could have a chance of seeing auroras, says Space Weather Live.< /p>

Nevertheless, even if all the conditions seem to be ripe for seeing auroras in the sky, nothing is yet guaranteed. This year, it is necessary&#39 ;elsewhere expect to see more aurora borealis in the sky of northern France.