Magnetic storms and their global impact: From technology to human health

We are witnessing exceptional astronomical phenomena. Over the weekend, the photographs circulated on social media were immensely impressive. However, solar storms are anomalies that affect more than just the landscape.

A geomagnetic storm is a disturbance caused by coronal mass ejections from the Sun, occurring during solar flares. They cause violent changes in the physical parameters of the solar wind.

They lead to significant changes in currents, plasma, and the magnetic field surrounding our planet. When billions of tons of plasma are ejected into space, anomalies also occur in the magnetic field.

Magnetic storms not only amaze us with the beautiful phenomenon known as the aurora borealis but also affect many aspects of life. It turns out that they can disrupt the functioning of the Starlink system.

In a post published on the X platform, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk confirmed that Starlink was exposed to the effects of solar matter reaching Earth. According to him, the storm was one of the "largest" recorded in a long time. Musk also expressed joy that although his satellites "were under great pressure," they handled the situation well.

Before experiencing the less pleasant effects of changes on the Sun, the Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences had already issued warnings two months ago. The institution notified on social media that there could be problems with power networks and tracking Earth orbit satellites.

But it's not only devices that struggle with the effects of a geomagnetic storm. Living organisms feel them as well.

Scientists continue to study the phenomenon. One of the unconfirmed hypotheses suggests that changes in the magnetic field may also affect our psyche and nervous system.

One of the strongest geomagnetic storms in Earth's history occurred in September 1859. This storm caused disturbances in Earth's magnetic field, leading to failures of telegraph networks throughout Europe and North America. Sparks even caused telegraph papers to ignite. The aurora borealis was visible worldwide. Newspapers described that in the Rocky Mountains at night, it was so bright that the glow woke up gold diggers who started preparing breakfast, thinking it was already morning.