Back in May, Earth was hit by five consecutive coronal mass ejections (CMEs) within a matter of two days. While the geomagnetic super storms that these CMEs triggered gave us quite a light show—plastering beautiful auroras in the night sky—they also did something else that caught farmers off guard.
According to several reports, the storms that we experienced back in May and even October were powerful enough to cause tractors to move on their own. Farmers all across large parts of the U.S. reported that their tractors began “dancing” from side to side, Spaceweather.com says.
One farmer told Spaceweather.com that it was like the tractors had become “demon-possessed.” Of course, the most likely culprit for this strange behavior is that these geomagnetic super storms affected GPS signals all around the world. As such, the GPS signals that the tractors rely on to automatically steer in straight lines experienced some troubles.
As noted above, though, May isn’t the only time we’ve seen one of these so-called “super storms” hit Earth and cause issues with farmer’s tractors. Reports of similar events happening across large parts of the U.S., such as when auroras filled the sky in October, have also popped up. And, with the Sun now fully into solar maximum—the peak of its 11-year cycle—things are likely only going to heat up even more.
As more solar flares and CMEs are sent flying out of the Sun, they’re likely to hit Earth and cause geomagnetic super storms like this again. Of course, there’s also the potential that they could only cause minor blackouts for GPS and radio signals—or that we might be missed entirely if the face of the Sun where the flares eject from is not facing Earth.
Either way, these reports showcase just how much solar weather can impact the lives of everyone—including farmers. John Deere representatives say many farmers rely on the GPS systems within their tractors to help them with their farming needs.
