We have covered this a number of times already but it is important and a harbinger of things to come:
Over 40 Starlink Satellites Have Been Lost After A Geomagnetic Storm – They Are Headed Back To Earth (11 min)
Over 40 Starlink Satellites Have Been Lost After a Geomagnetic Storm https://bit.ly/33cEm6g Spectacular Video Shows Starlink Satellite Disintegrating Over Puerto Rico After Geomagnetic Storm https://bit.ly/3uIaHgO Viewing archive of Friday, 4 February 2022 official Kp-index https://bit.ly/3szeURe ACE 4Day Browse Plots – 2022/02/04 (2022 035) https://bit.ly/3uHNZ8w
What is Geomagnetic storm, which destroyed 40 SpaceX satellites? (2 min)
Skyfall
Does this have anything to do with reduced magnetic protection or is it turning on 5G that is doing it?
"And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth" (Isaiah 24:21).
GEOMAGNETC STORM BRINGS DOWN STARLINK SATELLITES: As many as 40 Starlink satellites are currently falling out of the sky–the surprising result of a minor geomagnetic storm last week. This is a cautionary tale: Even relatively mild space weather can have big consequences. Reentry videos and more @ Spaceweather.com.
I wonder why such a minor storm did such damage? Could it be the magnetic excursion (weak field). pic.twitter.com/QX1Fnqz5Vy
Two days before launch a CME hit Earth’s magnetic field. It was not a major space weather event. In fact, the weak impact did not at first spark any remarkable geomagnetic activity. However, as Earth passed through the CME’s wake, some sputtering G1-class geomagnetic storms developed. It was one of these minor storms that caught the Starlink satellites on Feb. 4th.
Geomagnetic storms heat Earth’s upper atmosphere. Diaphanous tendrils of warming air literally reached up and grabbed the Starlink satellites. According to SpaceX, onboard GPS devices detected atmospheric drag increasing “up to 50 percent higher than during previous launches.”
“The Starlink team commanded the satellites into a safe-mode where they would fly edge-on (like a sheet of paper) to minimize drag,” says SpaceX. “Preliminary analysis show the increased drag at the low altitudes prevented the satellites from leaving safe-mode to begin orbit raising maneuvers, and up to 40 of the satellites will reenter or already have reentered the Earth’s atmosphere.”
The Sociedad de Astronomia del Caribe apparently caught one of the reentries over Puerto Rico on Feb. 7th:
SpaceX says that the deorbiting satellites “pose zero collision risk with other satellites and by design demise upon atmospheric reentry—meaning no orbital debris is created and no satellite parts hit the ground.”
Solar Storm Strikes Down SpaceX Starlink Satellites
If the web or YouTube go down in the next 24-36 hours you will know why.
CME Impact Just Occurred! G2 Geomagnetic Storm Ongoing – Strong G3 Storm Warning Is In Effect!
What looks to be an interplanetary shock just passed the DSCOVR spacecraft within the past half hour. The solar wind speed increased from around 480 km/s to just over 600 km/s. This is likely related to the CME activity from the past several days. A minor (G1) to moderate (G2) geomagnetic storm watch is in effect for the next 24-48 hours. More to follow.