{"id":333669,"date":"2026-05-13T00:22:35","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T18:52:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/?p=333669"},"modified":"2026-05-13T00:22:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T18:52:35","slug":"solar-flare-tomorrow-could-make-northern-lights-visible-news-tech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/13\/solar-flare-tomorrow-could-make-northern-lights-visible-news-tech\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar flare tomorrow could make northern lights visible | News Tech"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n\t\t\t<\/div>
The aurora borealis over Canada earlier this 12 months (Picture: Reuters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A colossal solar flare could graze the Earth tomorrow, prompting speculation of northern lights sightings and blackouts.<\/p>\n

A coronal mass ejection \u2013 an enormous\u00a0solar\u00a0explosion sending streams of charged particles into space \u2013 fired off the sun at 1.39pm<\/a> yesterday.<\/p>\n

Space weather forecasters (yes, they\u2019re a thing) categorised the blast of plasma as a M5.8 (moderate) flare, the second-most powerful rating. <\/p>\n

The eruption from the sunspot AR4436 has already triggered a radio blackout over the Atlantic Ocean.<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s heading away from Earth, there\u2019s a probability it should \u2018brush\u2019 past us within the early hours tomorrow morning, in response to the Met Office<\/a>.<\/p>\n

More flares could follow because the sunspot is now rotating into Earth\u2019s \u2018strike zone\u2019, so any ejections from it should be on a direct path towards us. <\/p>\n

\n

\n\t\t\t\tEnroll for all of the most recent stories\t\t\t<\/h2>\n
\n

Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates<\/strong> newsletter or get Breaking News <\/strong>alerts the moment it happens. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Solar flares \u2018can affect power grids and GPS\u2019<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

ALERT: X-Ray Flux exceeded M5 Threshold Reached: 2026 May 10 1335 UTCNoaa Scale: R2 \u2013 ModerateComment: NOAA Scale: R2 \u2013 ModerateIssue Time: 2026 May 10 1338 UTChttps:\/\/t.co\/ZbtuNtJdza<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (@NWSSWPC) May 10, 2026<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

When solar particles hit the magnetic bubble that protects our planet from radiation, it causes a geomagnetic storm, also called a solar storm.<\/p>\n

These particles\u00a0generate electrical currents and magnetic fields. All this extra energy can damage spacecraft, pipelines and railroad tracks, in addition to disrupt power grids.<\/p>\n

Communication blackouts mainly affect methods which use high-frequency radio waves,\u00a0similar to ham radio and business aviation.<\/p>\n

Jim NR Dale,\u00a0a meteorologist with the British Weather Services, told Metro<\/strong> that blackouts occur since the flares weaken radio waves.<\/p>\n

\u2018That is because of ionisation inside the ionosphere,\u2019 he says, referring to the fuzzy, glowing layer of the planet which meets space.<\/p>\n

\u2018Mainly, the waves are blocked and dispersed.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Beautiful\t<\/div>
The sun spews out charged particles from time to time (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018The flares within the worst-case scenarios can affect other technical apparatus similar to satellites, power grid outputs and GPS.\u2019<\/p>\n

This probably means your phone won\u2019t be affected by the storm, but navigation systems could also be knocked out.<\/p>\n

Earth\u2019s magnetosphere can get peeled back,\u00a0meaning satellites in high altitudes (like GPS ones) are hit with more radiation than usual.<\/p>\n

Satellites in low-Earth orbit are higher protected but can still experience technical hiccups, like signal dropouts and reboots.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Forecasters expect the arrival of tomorrow\u2019s ejection arrival to cause a G1-level geomagnetic storm.<\/p>\n

But Dale says this one is \u2018minor\u2019, so blackouts shouldn\u2019t be much of a worry. \u2018G4\/5 are the biggies,\u2019 he added.<\/p>\n

GPS can be much more resilient than you would possibly think, Lisa Dyer, executive director of the GPS Innovation Alliance, tells Metro<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u2018Past experience of those events has shown us that the system continues to operate normally even during intense space weather,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n

\u2018The satellites remain protected even under extreme conditions, and we are able to expect operations to stay stable throughout the space weather event.\u2019<\/p>\n

Where can I see the northern lights?<\/h2>\n
\n
\n\t\t\"EDITORIAL\t<\/div>
These cosmic fireworks are \u2018totally harmless\u2019, Dale says (Picture: PA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One nice potential side effect of all this solar material is a blinding light shows within the nighttime sky.<\/p>\n

When the particles mingle with the gases in Earth\u2019s atmosphere, they create various colors: Oxygen creates green or red light, while blue and purple come from nitrogen.<\/p>\n

This cosmic light show, often known as the aurora borealis or northern lights, might be seen across northern Scotland tomorrow if the skies are clear enough, space forecasters say.<\/p>\n

The monitoring service AuroraWatch UK<\/a> is currently reporting no significant geomagnetic activity.<\/p>\n

The sun\u2019s activity ebbs and flows on an 11-year cycle and reached its peak, called solar maximum, last 12 months. During this, the sun spits out more flares than usual. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s why auroras were seen as far south as London last 12 months, because the powerful solar storms drive auroras further south. <\/p>\n

Get in contact with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

For more stories like this, <\/strong>check our news page<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Arrow<\/title>\n<\/use><\/svg>MORE: UK set to be hotter than Hawaii with temperatures rising to 25\u00b0C<\/span><\/p>\n

Arrow<\/title>\n<\/use><\/svg>MORE: Nasa chief desires to \u2018Make Pluto Great Again\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Arrow<\/title>\n<\/use><\/svg>MORE: Donald Trump praises \u2018super hearing\u2019 of NASA chief\u2019s \u2018beautiful\u2019 ears<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tComment now<\/title>\n<\/use><\/svg><\/span>
\n\t\t\tComments<\/span>
\n\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\tAdd Metro as a Preferred Source on Google<\/title>\n<\/use><\/svg><\/span>
\n\t\t\t\tAdd as preferred source<\/span>
\n\t\t\t<\/section>\n
\n
\n

News Updates<\/h4>\n

Stay on top of the headlines with day by day email updates.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n