A Solar Monster 600,000 Miles Wide Is Headed Our Way — Could Tomorrow’s Geomagnetic Storm Bring Chaos?

So, here we are—just another day on planet Earth, casually warned by scientists that a geomagnetic storm might buzz our way tomorrow, May 16. You know, just your typical “Hey, the Sun flared up and might mess with your GPS and power grids… no big deal.” Earlier this week, the Sun threw a colossal tantrum, unleashing a solar eruption that stretched nearly 600,000 miles across its northern hemisphere. That’s not a typo—600,000 miles. To put it mildly, it was one heck of a celestial flare-up, and NASA’s solar satellites caught this wild ‘bird-wing’ spectacle that’s got aurora chasers buzzing.

Now, I can’t help but wonder—if the Sun decides to throw one of these fiery temper tantrums every now and then, should we be keeping an eye out, or just shrug and hope our phones survive the cosmic mood swing? Because, sure, the lights might dance in the sky near the poles, but on the flip side, this cosmic interference could scramble our sat-navs, fry some power grids, or even torch electrical systems. Yet, somehow, we still look up, half in awe, half in fear, asking: is the Sun waking up again, or just stretching?

LEARN MORE

Scientists have casually warned that the Earth could be hit by a geomagnetic storm tomorrow (16 May), as you do.

So a massive solar eruption occurred on the Sun’s northern hemisphere earlier this week, as Space.com reports that the explosion stretched nearly 600,000 miles (1 million kilometres).

Aurora chaser Vincent Ledvina said in a post on X that the eruption, recorded by NASA’s solar observation satellites, was reminiscent of a ‘bird-wing’ or ‘angel-wing event’.

What is a geomagnetic storm?

A geomagnetic storm is a disturbance in Earth’s magnetic field, which happens to be caused by solar wind from the Sun.

As the Sun releases charged particles, they hit Earth’s magnetic shield, which could lead to the disruption of GPS, power grids, and satellites.

Equally, these storms can also create beautiful auroras near the poles.

An extreme geomagnetic storm could hit Earth tomorrow (16 May) (Getty Stock Images)

When do scientists predict the storm might hit Earth?

Over on X, Dr Tamitha Sjov said that she was concerned that the ‘Earth-facing side of our Sun has been taking a bit of a nap recently’ but ‘but finally did something noteworthy’.

Sharing NASA’s video, the space weather physicist added: “Check out this gorgeous ‘bird wing’ filament eruption today. Thus far, it looks like it will mostly miss us, but we could get the wake of the structure passing by Earth sometime 16 May.”

Fellow solar physicist Halo CME also asked the question on X: “Is the Sun waking up again?”

They noted that it was ‘the first X-class flare since March 28, 2025,’ and added: “This is associated with a CME that drives a weak shock wave responsible for a minor SEP event.”

Th explosion was reminiscent of a ‘bird wing’ (X/@‌TamithaSkov/NASA)

What is a CME?

A coronal mass ejection (CME) is a burst of solar material and magnetic fields that gets released from the eruption.

While most of the CME is moving away from Earth, scientists predict that a portion could graze our planet on May 16, 2025.

According to the Met Office, there’s a possible chance that two low confidence CMEs could pass the Earth today and tomorrow.

Jake Foster, astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, told MailOnline: “Loops of hot plasma can sprout up from the Sun’s surface, following along its magnetic field lines, and occasionally they break free and shoot off into space at high speeds.”

“These eruptions are huge collections of high energy solar particles, so when they hit the Earth’s atmosphere they can cause a few different effects.”

He explained: “With enough energy, they have the potential to cause a geomagnetic storm, temporarily blocking out radio communications and satellite navigation in certain areas.

“On the more serious end of the scale, they can cause an overload to electrical infrastructure, damaging the power grid and railway lines, and potentially even sparking electrical fires.”