AUSTIN, Texas (PNN) - October 10, 2026 - Space weather website SolarHam reported that an "interplanetary shockwave" was detected Saturday morning as a coronal mass ejection (CME) struck Earth's geomagnetic field.
"A very impressive spike in plasma density was noted in solar wind data, along with an impressive strength (Bt) and a Bz component that is swinging wildly between north and south. NOAA/SWPC have already added a moderate (G2) storm watch for the hours ahead and strong (G3) conditions may also be possible," SolarHam wrote in the update.
That is a shockwave impact on Aurora at high latitude, geomagnetic storms are likely.
A CME is a massive eruption of plasma, or electrically charged gas, and magnetic fields from the Sun's outer atmosphere, called the corona.
The major possible impacts on Earth are brighter auroras, sometimes visible much farther south than usual, disruptions to GPS, radio communications and satellites, and stress on electrical grids, potentially causing blackouts during extreme storms.
SpaceWeatherLive reports that a radio blackout is already in progress, moderate R2 radio blackout in progress (≥M5 - current: M6.57).