The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) warned today that a coronal mass ejection (CME) detected on October 8 is moving fast - somewhere between 1,200 and 1,300 kilometers per second - and will likely strike Earth sometime early tomorrow, October 10.
At G4 strength, the center noted effects may include widespread voltage control problems, interference with spacecraft operations, aurora borealis at lower altitudes than expected, and interruption to terrestrial communications.
Along with the G4 storm, the SWPC said the CME headed for Earth will also bring with it an S3-level solar radiation storm, which could harm astronauts and passengers on high-flying aircraft, disrupt solar panel efficiency, and degrade radio and navigation signal propagation.
The NOAA previously predicted that cycle 25 would be a relatively calm one, but said during a press briefing today that it's already revised its prediction upward given the previous solar activity.
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