On Thursday and Friday, the Earth may feel the effects of a geomagnetic storm, according to LiveScience. It will be caused by the opening of the coronal hole, from where a plasma stream will rush towards our planet at a speed of 2.9 million km / h.
Coronal holes are regions in the Sun's upper atmosphere where the electrified gas is less hot and dense, causing the "holes" to appear black. Usually, the outflow of plasma into interplanetary space is restrained due to the fact that the magnetic field lines in the equatorial region of the Sun are closed. However, from time to time the lines open, and then a coronal hole appears in this place, through which the plasma escapes along with the solar wind. The flow of electrons, protons, and alpha particles is absorbed by the Earth's magnetic field, which compresses, causing a geomagnetic storm.
Although this is called a storm, in fact, the flow that will reach the Earth on Thursday will be quite weak. This geomagnetic storm is at its weakest level, G-1, and can cause minor fluctuations in power grids and disrupt some satellite functions, including mobile devices and GPS systems. More extreme geomagnetic storms can warp our planet's magnetic field enough to disrupt electrical systems and even take out the internet.