A major geomagnetic storm has occurred! This will affect the accuracy of RTK positioning!

At approximately 2:09 AM Beijing time on January 19th, a Class X 1.9 solar flare erupted in solar active region 14341, marking the first X-class solar flare of 2026. As a result, a geomagnetic storm began to occur on Earth at 2:00 AM on January 20th, lasting for 6 hours and 6 hours for a moderate geomagnetic storm by 8:00 PM that day. Strong geomagnetic activity is expected to continue on January 21st.

The Fengyun-3E satellite also detected this geomagnetic activity from space. As the geomagnetic storm began, the geomagnetic index value dropped rapidly.

The Fengyun-3H satellite also took images of the Northern Hemisphere from space, allowing us to visually see which areas were affected by the aurora.

As a typical solar eruption, a coronal mass ejection (CME) can hurle billions of tons of solar material from the sun's surface at speeds of hundreds of kilometers per second. This material not only possesses immense kinetic energy from its massive mass and velocity but also carries the sun's powerful magnetic field energy. If it hits Earth, it triggers changes in the direction and magnitude of Earth's magnetic field, known as a geomagnetic storm. Will geomagnetic storms affect humans? There's no need to worry excessively; geomagnetic storms have no impact on humans. The changes in the magnetic field produced by a geomagnetic storm are actually very small, weaker than the magnets found in everyday household items like magnets or magnetic hooks. However, geomagnetic storms can have some impact on the operation of aircraft and satellite orbits. Due to atmospheric drag, satellite space stations may experience a slight decrease in orbital altitude, requiring enhanced orbital monitoring and adjustments as needed. Positioning errors in satellite navigation equipment may increase, but the impact on daily navigation functions for the public is minimal. Furthermore, strong geomagnetic activity may affect animal migration and navigation abilities. For example, the impact of geomagnetic storms is significant for homing pigeons that rely on the sun and geomagnetism for navigation.