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which could bring chaos to mobile phone networks, GPS satellites and power grids
An uncommonly powerful solar storm may occur in outer space Friday, officials have warned – the first in nearly 20 years if it comes to fruition.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the US issued the Severe (G4) Geomagnetic Storm Watch late Thursday – the first such alert aired since 2005 when Earth was hit with the highest dose of radiation in a half-century.
This time around, the 'unusual event' could disrupt electronic devices like GPS and parts of power grids, the American agency said – while citing how it may also drape a huge portion of the country in a spectacular circle of light (an 'aurora').
It follows a series of solar flares that began Wednesday during which several large expulsions of plasma from the sun were spotted – paving the way for Thursday's alert.
In it, officials explained how the expulsions of matter and magnetic field from the celestial body's atmosphere could cause problems for millions of earthlings as soon as noon ET Friday.
A solar or geomagnetic storm is a major disturbance of Earth's magnetosphere - the area around Earth controlled by the planet's magnetic field - often caused by coronal mass ejections (CMEs).
'Severe geomagnetic storm watch' issued
