Powerful 'cannibal storm' to hit Earth today - and it could disrupt communications and GPS

A almighty star tempest could bring a dazzling Northern Lights show aboriginal - arsenic good arsenic perchance disrupting GPS, communications systems and powerfulness grids.

The British Geological Survey (BGS) upgraded its forecast to the maximum and said the ongoing tempest had already interfered with communications and outer navigation.

It said a 2nd geomagnetic "cannibal storm", feeding disconnected the first, could scope the UK by aboriginal day and beryllium 1 of the biggest successful 20 years.

A star tempest is an detonation of particles, energy, magnetic fields, and worldly blasted into abstraction by the prima - and tin disturb the Earth's magnetic field, according to NASA.

The latest lawsuit has already created the biggest geoelectric tract astatine crushed level since BGS records began.

The tempest led to awesome sightings of the aurora borealis successful immoderate parts of the UK overnight and the aforesaid could hap aboriginal - assuming clear, acheronian skies.

People successful Scotland, bluish England and Northern Ireland person the champion accidental of seeing the lights, according to the BGS.

Solar storms tin scope Earth from the prima successful arsenic small arsenic 17 hours, but tin sometimes instrumentality overmuch longer.

The latest 1 could scope the highest level of G5, according to the BGS, a standard that warns of imaginable powerfulness blackouts, GPS problems lasting days, and problems orientating spacecraft.

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