Classes from the November 2025 photo voltaic storm

Photo voltaic exercise follows an 11-year cycle, alternating between intervals of excessive or low depth. Earlier this yr, our star reached photo voltaic most, making main photo voltaic storms extra possible.

On 11 November 2025, the Solar unleashed an intense X-class photo voltaic flare peaking round 10:04 UTC, adopted lower than an hour later by a CME touring at and velocity initially estimated round 1500 km/s. By 18:50 UTC the following day, the CME reached Earth, triggering a robust geomagnetic storm that peaked for six hours earlier than lowering to reasonable ranges.

“In just some days, one lively photo voltaic area (NOAA Lively Area 14274) produced 4 photo voltaic flares and an equal variety of CMEs, three of which had been directed in the direction of Earth. The third and most spectacular occasion occurred on 11 November. Curiously, resulting from particular person traits, it produced a smaller geomagnetic disturbance than anticipated,” says Juha-Pekka Luntama, Head of ESA’s Area Climate Workplace.

The sequence concluded on 14 November, when the lively area launched one ultimate CME earlier than rotating out of view on the far facet of the Solar.

Essentially the most instant and vital impact of the occasion was a significant disruption of radio communication within the areas going through the Solar. Following the photo voltaic flare, a extreme radio blackout was recorded throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia, lasting roughly half-hour to 1 hour.

A Floor Stage Enhancement (GLE) was additionally noticed, a uncommon phenomenon that happens solely a couple of times per yr. These occasions occur when photo voltaic particles are energetic sufficient to penetrate Earth’s magnetic defend, which usually protects us from much less intense photo voltaic outbursts. Excessive power photo voltaic particles can hurt astronauts, harm spacecraft and may produce a cascade of secondary particles in our ambiance that would trigger errors in digital elements in the event that they attain the bottom. This was solely the 77^th GLE since data started within the Forties.

Regardless of this, the geomagnetic storm had minimal impression on important infrastructure. ESA spacecraft are designed to face up to in opposition to radiation, and none sustained harm from the storm. Nevertheless, the occasion supplied a chance for a number of ESA missions to gather radiation information, which is now being analysed. Extra importantly, the occasion posed no direct organic threat to people on Earth.

Knowledge from Earth commentary missions

ESA missions in low-Earth orbit had been available to measure the consequences on Earth’s higher ambiance.

14 hours earlier than the onset of the geomagnetic storm, ESA’s Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission registered a big radio burst as a photo voltaic flare arrived. Orbiting at 755 km, its radio wave antenna listens at 1.4 gigahertz, for Earth observations, however it will probably additionally decide up photo voltaic radio waves and their spinning movement. For this occasion, SMOS information recorded a left-handed (anticlockwise) polarisation, which isn’t anticipated to have interfered with world satellite tv for pc navigation programs.

Even nearer to dwelling, the three satellites of ESA’s Swarm constellation detected magnetic fluctuations ten occasions above regular within the early section of the storm. The trio’s star trackers, that are usually used to appropriately orient the satellites, noticed a short lived enhance in high-energy protons on the poles, giving rise to ‘proton auroras’, a extra diffuse show seen at a lot decrease latitudes throughout robust storms.

Affect on science missions

Spacecraft exterior of Earth’s magnetic safety additionally felt the impact of the storm.

On the first Lagrange level, the ESA/NASA Photo voltaic and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) captured the primary CME observations. Constructed to watch the Solar, the satellite tv for pc is made to endure probably the most extreme house climate occasions.

The ESA/NASA Photo voltaic Orbiter mission supplied detailed protection of the occasion. Its devices recorded the X5 flare, detected the particle occasion and measured the CME’s magnetic signature. A fast take a look at the dashboard is offered at Solar Orbiter Data.

Persevering with its journey to the planet Mercury, BepiColombo was near the Solar-Earth line, the ‘freeway of house climate’ that Earth-bound particles and CMEs take. This alignment meant that this occasion was presumably the most important photo voltaic energetic particle impression BepiColombo has skilled since launch. The ESA/JAXA spacecraft reported a number of transient reminiscence errors, however its strong design meant that these points had been rapidly and efficiently resolved. Science information gathered in the course of the occasion shall be returned within the coming weeks

Defending astronauts and satellites

Photo voltaic storms, and particularly the high-energy particles they’ll produce, are a significant concern for missions venturing past Earth’s magnetic defend. These particles are troublesome to defend in opposition to and may dramatically enhance radiation publicity, posing potential dangers to astronaut well being and spacecraft programs.

A number of ESA and accomplice spacecraft carry radiation devices designed inside/for ESA programmes to diagnose anomalies, assist operational selections, and enhance specification fashions informing spacecraft design. These devices additionally assist enhance our understanding of heliophysics and house climate modelling. ESA can also be growing next-generation applied sciences to scale back the price, mass, and energy consumption of those devices whereas enhancing efficiency.

To minimise publicity, ESA and different house companies apply the ALARA (as little as fairly achievable) precept. Throughout extreme storms, this will likely contain measures equivalent to suspending spacewalks, relocating astronauts to shielded areas when crucial and, in, excessive instances, delaying launches.

These measurements shall be much more important for future lunar and deep-space missions past Earth’s protecting magnetic subject. On this context, ESA is exploring new shielding methods, learning how supplies together with planetary floor regolith like that of the Moon can affect radiation environments, and investigating the total vary of organic results from high-energy particles to raised shield crews and programs.

ESA’s future fleet of house climate satellites

ESA intently monitored this highly effective house climate occasion, collected detailed data from all its knowledgeable service centres and disseminated key data with stakeholders. Though it’s doable to forecast the likelihood of an eruption, the precise time of arrival of the CME and the exact magnitude of the storm was nonetheless troublesome to foretell however new ESA missions goal to scale back these uncertainties.

ESA’s Vigil mission introduces a brand new approach of watching the Solar, observing its ‘facet’ from Lagrange Level 5 (L5) to supply steady perception into photo voltaic exercise and monitor house climate circumstances near the Solar–Earth line. Scheduled for launch in 2031, Vigil will detect doubtlessly hazardous photo voltaic occasions earlier than they rotate into Earth view, giving us early information of their traits and priceless time to guard spacecraft and demanding floor infrastructure.

Present in-situ operational monitoring of the incoming photo voltaic wind is completed from Lagrange Level 1 (L1) and allowed us to foretell the impression of this photo voltaic storm solely about 20 minutes beforehand. Situated greater than 15 million kilometres from Earth, roughly ten occasions additional away than L1, one other proposed mission, SHIELD, would be capable to give an alert of such a storm round two and a half hours earlier than impression, which might enable important infrastructure operators to effectively put together and minimise geomagnetic storm impacts.