THE TOUGH TOPIC THEY TALK TO
KIDS ABOUT IN NIGERIA.
>>> GOOD DAY.
HAPPY FRIDAY.
I AM TOM COSTELLO IN FOR HALLIE
JACKSON.
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN NEARLY 2
DECADES A MAJOR SOLAR STORM IS
GIVING PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD
A CHANCE TO SEE A SPECTACULAR
LIGHT SHOW.
THE NORTHERN LIGHTS USUALLY
ONLY VISIBLE NEAR THE ARCTIC CIRCLE COULD BE VISIBLE AS FAR
SOUTH AS ALABAMA, BUT THE STORM
COULD ALSO BRING SOME PROBLEMS.
POTENTIALLY IT COULD INTERFERE
WITH SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS,
GPS, POTENTIALLY EVEN POWER
GRIDS.
WHAT IS THE SOLAR STORM EXACTLY?
IT IS CALLED A SEVERE
GEOMAGNETIC STORM . IT IS
CAUSED BY MASSIVE SOLAR FLARES,
PLASMA EJECTIONS FROM THE SUN
SLAMMING INTO THE MAGNETIC
FIELD.
BILL KARINS IS 20 ME NOW FOR
MORE. WE HAVE HEARD A LOT ABOUT SOLAR
STORMS DURING THE ECLIPSE
COVERAGE LAST MONTH.
NOW IT IS REALLY HEATING UP.
I SPOKE TO AN ASTROPHYSICIST
TODAY WHO TOLD ME THAT THIS IS
A BIG DEAL.
TAKE A LISTEN.
>> IF YOU STILL HAVE YOUR SOLAR
ECLIPSE GLASSES FROM THE
ECLIPSE, GO OUTSIDE RIGHT NOW
AND LOOK AT THE SUN WITH YOUR
GLASSES, AND YOU WILL SEE A
MONSTER SUNSPOT REGION.
THIS IS A VERY ACTIVE REGION .
IT IS 124,000 MILES ACROSS, 15
TIMES THE DIAMETER OF THE EARTH.
>> IT IS HUGE.
YOU NEED TORT ECLIPSE GLASSES,
THOUGH.
THIS REALLY UNDERSCORES THAT
THE SUN IS 93 MILLION MILES
AWAY, FOR WE -- BUT WE ARE AT
ITS MERCY.
>> AND HAPPENS TO BE POINTING
RIGHT AT US.
THE HUGE SUNSPOT.
THIS IS AN IMAGE.
WE PUT THE BLACK OVER THIS TO
COVER THE SUN.
YOU ARE SEEING WHAT IS SHOOTING
OUT.
THE SUNSPOT HAS SHOT OUT AT
LEAST SEVEN DIFFERENT MASS
EJECTIONS IN THE LAST THREE
DAYS.
AND HAPPENS TO BE POINTING
RIGHT AT EARTH.
THAT IS TRAVELING THROUGH SPACE
RIGHT NOW AND HITTING US.
THAT IS WHY, IF YOU GO RIGHT
NOW TO ANY OF THE WEB CAN’T --
WEBCAMS IN YOUR.
THE SKY IS PINK.
THEY CAN SEE THAT RIGHT NOW
FROM THE EIFFEL TOWER.
A PINK SKY ACROSS ALL OF YOUR.
INCREDIBLE STUFF.
AS FAR AS OUR COUNTRY GOES,
THIS IS THE SPACE PREDICTION
CENTER.
THIS PICTURE IS ACTUALLY FROM
NEW ZEALAND EARLIER THIS
AFTERNOON.
THEY WERE HIT BY THE FIRST
SOLAR STORM ABOUT 1:00 EASTERN
TIME. IT WAS MOSTLY FOCUSED INTO THE
SOUTHERN POLE. McCALL THAT THE
SOUTHERN LIGHTS FOR THEM.
NOW WE’RE SEEING IT A LOT MORE
IN THE NORTH.
THE GREEN LINE IS THE SOUTHERN
EXTENT OF WHERE WE ARE
PREDICTING YOU SHOULD BE ABLE
TO SEE IT IF YOU HAVE CLEAR
SKIES.
SALT LAKE CITY NORTHWARDS,
DENVER NORTHWARDS, KANSAS CITY
AND ST. LOUIS NORTHWARDS,
PHILADELPHIA NORTHWARDS.
A LITTLE SOUTH OF THERE, IF YOU ARE AT A HIGH ELEVATION AND
LOOKING AT THE NORTHERN SKY,
YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO SEE A
LITTLE BIT.
BUT OF COURSE, YOU NEED CLEAR
SKIES.
RIGHT NOW, WE’RE LOCKED IN WITH
CLOUDS THROUGH NEW YORK, D.C.,
PHILLY.
THERE IS SOME HOPE COULD CLEAR
EARLY TOMORROW MORNING, BUT
THAT IS NOT A GREAT CHANCE AT
THAT EITHER.
EVERYONE FROM THE NORTHERN
PLAINS TO THE WEST, THEY SHOULD
BE AN INCREDIBLE SHOW. IF YOU WAKE UP TOMORROW
MORNING, EVERYONE OUT WITH
THEIR CAMERAS, IT SHOULD BE
INCREDIBLE.
>> I WAS ON THE CALL TODAY WITH
THE SPACE WEATHER EXPERTS AT
NOAA, AND THEY SAID PEOPLE
SHOULD NOT PANIC, BUT THERE
HAVE BEEN SOLAR STORMS WITH
MORE SERIOUS IMPACTS IN THE
PAST.
>> THERE’S A DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN GEOMAGNETIC, FIVE IS
THE MOST EXTREME.
THAT WAS BACK IN THE 1800s.
IT CAUSED MASSIVE PROBLEMS.
SOME OF THE MORE RECENT ONES,
THE LAST TIME WAS BACK IN 2005.
IN 2003 NEAR HALLOWEEN THERE
WAS ONE ACTUALLY HAD
DISRUPTIONS AS FAR AS THE POWER
GRID WENT IN QUIBEC.
THAT WAS A BIG ISSUE.
THERE CAN BE SATELLITE PROBLEMS.
I HAVE NOT HEARD ANYTHING
OFFICIALLY RELEASED FROM ELON
MUSK OR ANYTHING ELSE, BUT I
HAVE HEARD PEOPLE HAVE BEEN
LOSING STARLINK.
THOSE ARE THE TYPES OF PROBLEMS
WE WOULD EXPECT TO SEE. I WANT
TO SHOW YOU SOME OF THE THINGS
WE DO KNOW OUT OF THIS ONE.
SEVEN OF THEM.
WE KNOW THE SUNSPOT IS ABOUT 15 TIMES LARGER THAN THE U.S. THE
PEAK TONIGHT AS FAR AS ALL OF
THE STORMS, BECAUSE THEY ARE
SUPPOSED TO BE OVERLAPPING,
WILL BE FROM MIDNIGHT TO ABOUT
FOUR CLOCK A.M.
IF YOU WANT TO TIME IT WHERE
YOU LIVE AND HEAD OUT, MAKE
SURE IT IS BEFORE SUNRISE.
THE MOON IS SETTING AT
MIDNIGHT, THAT IS THE IDEAL
TIME TO GET OUT THERE WITH HER
CAMERA.
I HAVE SEEN PEOPLE WITH LONG
EXPOSURE ON THEIR iPHONES SUNNY
BACK AMAZING IMAGES.
>> NOAA SAID TODAY YOU MAY GET
A BETTER VIEW UNDER OVINE --
ON YOUR iPHONE.
HAPPENSTANCE, I’M FLYING TO
ICELAND TOMORROW.
I MAY GET A PRETTY GOOD VIEW.
AS LONG AS THE PLANE CAN STILL
FLY.
I SUSPECT THERE IS NO ISSUE
WITH THAT.
>> I HAVE NOT HEARD ANY
AIRLINES TALKING ABOUT
NAVIGATION SYSTEMS BEING
HARMED.
THIS IS NOT UNHEARD OF IN THE
AIRLINE INDUSTRY.
YOU CAN POSSIBLY SEE STUFF LIKE
THIS.
THE PEAK IS SUPPOSED TO BE
TONIGHT.
TOMORROW NIGHT THEY’RE STILL
SUPPOSED TO BE A CHANCE.
SLIGHTLY LOWER ON THE SCALE.
I WOULD INSPECT TO SEE GOOD
PICTURES AND STORIES COMING
FROM YOU.
I SHOULD GO JOIN YOU.
>> YOU WOULD HAVE TO KICK MY