In November 2025, Earth was hit by several massive solar eruptions that slammed into the magnetosphere, producing dazzling auroras but also disrupting technology. Scientists led by space physicist Endawoke Yizengaw of The Aerospace Corporation in the US have discovered that the disruption was stranger and more widespread than anyone realized.

In a new analysis, the researchers found widespread, coast-to-coast disturbances in the atmosphere across the continental US – a phenomenon never seen before on this scale. The effects were profound, throwing GPS off by more than 10 meters (33 feet) in some places, enough to disrupt precision agriculture and autonomous vehicles.

The impact comes from ionospheric scintillation, where energetic particles during a geomagnetic storm create density fluctuations in the upper atmosphere, distorting radio signals. While scintillation is common near the poles and equator, mid-latitudes are usually calm. The November 2025 superstorm expanded the auroral oval, bringing these disturbances to the US.

Using observations from multiple instruments across North America, including aurora cameras and GNSS receivers, the team saw a huge band of enhanced electron density stretching east to west. The findings underscore the need for better space weather predictive capabilities, as published in Geophysical Research Letters.