On May 11, affected by the geomagnetic storm, aurora appeared over Xilinhot, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
The National Space Weather Monitoring and Warning Center of the China Meteorological Administration issued a geomagnetic storm red warning at 9:00 on May 11: geomagnetic storms occurred at 23:00 on May 10, Beijing time, with the maximum level reaching the level of giant geomagnetic storms (Kp=9), and it is expected that geomagnetic storms may still occur in the future.
At the same time as the geomagnetic storm related news, there were also online rumors such as "geomagnetic storm caused cell phone signal interruption, insomnia, and aircraft engine failure". They have been widely spread, causing some public anxiety and panic. The reporter interviewed relevant experts to clear the fog and find the truth for you.
The geomagnetic storm interrupted the mobile phone signal?
Truth: No impact on mobile communication
As a major modern communication tool, mobile phones are closely related to people's life. Some netizens said that geomagnetic storms would cause cell phone signal interruption.
In response, Yan Weiguo, president of the Tianjin Astronomical Society, said in an interview that the geomagnetic storm had no impact on mobile phone communications.
The data show that geomagnetic storm is a phenomenon that the high-speed coronal ejections carry the solar magnetic field to impact the earth, and produce severe disturbance to the earth's magnetic field during the solar eruption. After arriving at the earth, the high-energy particle stream ejected from the corona will interact with the earth's magnetic field, resulting in the rapid movement of magnetic field electrons and the generation of current.
"Geomagnetic storms may indirectly affect satellite navigation systems. When high-energy particle streams impact the earth's magnetic field, causing changes in the density of the earth's ionosphere, navigation signals may be delayed or weakened." Yan Weiguo further explained that this is because satellite navigation system communication mainly depends on the reflection and propagation of the earth's ionosphere.
In addition, geomagnetic storms may also indirectly affect satellite communication systems. "Some advanced communication services that rely on satellite links, such as satellite telephones, may be temporarily disrupted in extreme geomagnetic storms," Yan Weiguo said.
In contrast, modern mobile phone communication relies on wireless electromagnetic waves, which send and receive signals through ground base stations. These signals belong to a specific radio frequency, which is completely different from the frequency of the earth's magnetic field affected by geomagnetic storms.
The stability and reliability of mobile communication mainly depend on the coverage of base stations, signal strength, network capacity and other factors. During the initial construction, the designers of the ground base station have fully considered the geomagnetic storm and other factors, and added protective measures to reduce the impact of the external environment on the quality of mobile communication.
Is geomagnetic storm causing insomnia?
Truth: There is no evidence to show that there is a causal relationship between the two
From solar flare activity to geomagnetic storms, some netizens regard these natural phenomena as the "culprits" of insomnia, dizziness, panic and other discomfort. "I lost sleep these days because of the geomagnetic storm" and other comments appeared on the Internet.
In this regard, the relevant staff of the National Space Weather Monitoring and Early Warning Center of the China Meteorological Administration said that geomagnetic storms mainly affect creatures that rely on geomagnetic navigation, such as carrier pigeons, and will not affect human health.
"At present, there is no direct evidence to prove that there is a direct causal relationship between geomagnetic storms and human insomnia, dizziness and other discomfort." Yan Weiguo said that the human body is not a sensitive "magnetometer", which can sense subtle changes in the earth's magnetic field and directly trigger physiological reactions.
Insomnia and dizziness are common health problems with complex causes, including but not limited to high pressure, bad living habits, mental and psychological factors, ear diseases, nervous system diseases, etc. "These factors have far more direct and significant impact on our daily life than the earth's magnetic field," said Yan Weiguo.
It is worth noting that fear and anxiety about unknown or exaggerated natural phenomena will affect the quality of sleep. "During the spread of geomagnetic storm rumors, negative emotions may aggravate the discomfort of some individuals," Yan Weiguo added.
The geomagnetic storm causes aircraft engine failure?
Truth: Very limited impact on low altitude aircraft
When many people hear about geomagnetic storms, they literally understand them and think that they should sweep the earth like storms. What's more, they linked the geomagnetic storm with the aircraft engine failure in recent years, saying that it must be the "ghost" of the geomagnetic storm.
In this regard, Wang Yunfei, lecturer of the Air Traffic Management School of Civil Aviation University of China, said that geomagnetic storms mainly affect the earth's ionosphere and magnetic field, and have extremely limited impact on ground and low altitude aircraft, and are unlikely to directly threaten modern aircraft engines with multiple protective measures.
It is understood that the possible causes of aircraft engine failure are complex and diverse, including mechanical wear, improper maintenance, foreign matter suction, fuel quality problems, etc. The International Civil Aviation Organization will conduct a detailed investigation on every aircraft accident or fault. But so far, no official report has directly attributed the aircraft engine failure to geomagnetic storms.
"The engines of modern commercial aircraft have been strictly tested and are highly reliable and redundant. They can work stably in extreme environments, including strong wind, hail, lightning and other severe weather. The engines are equipped with advanced sensors and control systems. Once abnormalities are detected, they will immediately start protective measures to ensure flight safety." Wang Yunfei introduced, "In addition, during the initial design, the engineer has considered the possibility of the aircraft being subject to magnetic field interference and taken corresponding protective measures."
According to the data released by international aviation safety records and research institutions, thanks to the progress of engineering technology and strict maintenance procedures, the failure rate of aircraft engines has continued to decline in the past few decades.
Going out less during geomagnetic storms?
Truth: Daily activities can be carried out as usual
In the geomagnetic storm classification system, Kp index is an index used to quantify the level of geomagnetic activity, ranging from 0 to 9. When the Kp index reaches 9, it indicates that the geomagnetic activity is extremely strong. Recently, the Kp index of geomagnetic storms has reached 9, which makes many people very afraid. Some netizens even suggested that they should try to go out as little as possible during this period. If they have to go out, they must take protective measures, such as wearing sunglasses, sun hats, etc.
Yan Weiguo introduced that the geomagnetic storm is the result of the response of the earth's magnetic field to the solar activity, which is mainly manifested in the short-term sharp fluctuations of the earth's magnetic field. Although this kind of phenomenon sounds scary, it has little impact on human life.
"The impact of geomagnetic storms on most people's daily activities is almost negligible. Whether it is commuting, outdoor exercise or leisure travel, there is no need to make changes due to geomagnetic storms, let alone take some special protective measures." Yan Weiguo further explained that geomagnetic storms are caused by solar activities, but the main impact is the earth's magnetic field, Instead of the intensity of ultraviolet radiation, it is totally unnecessary to take sunscreen measures such as wearing sunglasses and sun visors.
"The public should rationally recognize natural phenomena based on scientific facts and avoid unnecessary panic and misunderstanding. Armed with knowledge and understanding the information released by authoritative media is the correct way to face special natural phenomena," said Yan Weiguo. (Reporter Chen Xi)