Earth Geomagnetic Storm Today : Massive Coronal Mass Ejection May Hit Earth Today Potential Threat To Trigger Strong Geomagnetic Storm
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A cannibal CME occurs when an early CME is followed by a faster CME. When the second CME engulfs the first, a giant wave of plasma is created. According to Spaceweather.com, on July 14 there was a CME with an explosion from the Sun’s sunspot AR3370. The next day, on July 15, another fast CME erupted from a much larger sunspot AR3363.
Likely to hit the Earth on July 18
A simulation by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center has shown that the second storm will merge with the first CME and form a ‘cannibal cloud’ that is most likely to hit Earth on July 18. Both CMEs are triggered by a C-class solar wave, which is a moderate level of solar eruption. By themselves, they are too weak to trigger large geomagnetic storms.
Cannibal CMEs are extremely rare
The combined size and speed of the two could trigger a G1 or G2 level geomagnetic storm, the two highest categories of geomagnetic storms. Cannibal CMEs are extremely rare because they require two CMEs in sequence, but several such cases have been reported over the years. Coronal mass ejections are some of the largest explosions from the surface of the Sun, ejecting billions of tons of material at several million miles per hour.
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