Solar Storms With Northern Lights Seen Worldwide Impacting Harvests, Radio Signals

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

WASHINGTON/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – People worldwide watched the heavens Monday after a series of powerful solar storms colored skies across the Northern Hemisphere, causing radio blackouts and havoc for farmers relying on the Global Positioning System (GPS) and other navigational technology.

The strongest geomagnetic storm in more than 20 years slammed Earth on Friday, with explosions of plasma and magnetic fields turning into spectacle displays of the Northern Lights in the United States, Canada, Europe, China, and beyond.

Officials have said the dazzling light shows could continue for several more days after a weekend that some farmers wished didn’t happen.

Many farmers have come to rely on GPS and similar technology to help them plant more efficiently and precisely by keeping rows straight and avoiding gaps or overlaps.

But over the weekend, some of those operations in the Midwest, as well as in other parts of the United States and Canada, reportedly temporarily ground to a halt.

“I’ve never dealt with anything like this,” said Patrick O’Connor, the owner of a farm about 80 miles (128 kilometers) south of Minneapolis that mainly grows corn and soybean.

Instead of planting corn, O’Connor told The New York Times newspaper that he prepared a different field for planting, all while taking in the “phenomenal” colors of the sky. “It interrupted my evening, but I still was in the field,” he added.

GLORY LIGHTS

“I was able to see the Northern Lights in all their glory,” O’Conner recalled.

On Monday, officials warned the storms aren’t yet over.

Experts say the Aurora Borealis — the phenomenon more commonly known as the Northern Lights — happens because of a molecular collision in the upper levels of Earth’s atmosphere that causes bursts of energy to be released in the form of visible light.

The Northern Lights have a counterpart, the Aurora Australis or Southern Lights, the same phenomenon in the Southern Hemisphere.

These light shows can be visible for as much as half the year in certain places near the Earth’s two poles, but it’s unusual to see them in areas closer to the equator.

That is why the spectacles over North America, Europe, and other places on similar latitudes “were such a treat” in the last few days, skywatchers said.

These light-filled solar storms also briefly took away the attention of turbulence and darkness in the world.

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