As millions of people across the U.S. recently looked up to the skies to witness widespread auroras dancing overhead, some farmers were left perplexed as their tractors seemingly started doing the same. The malfunctioning vehicles, which have been unexpectedly swaying from side to side as they work the land, have been boogying to the beat of supercharged magnetic disturbances triggered by explosive solar storms, experts say. Simply put: Solar particles are tampering with the machines' GPS systems. Solar activity has been way up this year thanks to solar maximum , the peak of the sun's roughly 11-year cycle, which scientists confirmed was officially well underway in October . As a result, solar flares have frequently erupted from the sun throughout 2024, and some of these explosions have also launched large clouds of plasma, known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), at Earth. When these CMEs hit our planet, they can create massive disturbances in Earth's magnetic field, known as geomagnetic storms, potentially triggering radio blackouts and widespread aurora displays. Between May 10 and May 12, Earth was hit by five consecutive CMEs , which triggered the most powerful geomagnetic storm in more than 21 years , and likely painted some of the most vibrant auroras over the last few centuries . This event was classed as an "extreme" G5 storm — the most powerful threshold these disturbances can reach. During this supercharged storm, farmers across large parts of the U.S. reported some unusual activity with their tractors, which started "dancing" from side to side, Spaceweather.com recently reported . Related: 32 stunning photos of auroras seen from space "Our tractors acted like they were demon possessed," Elaine Ramstad, an amateur aurora chaser who was helping out on a family farm in northern Minnesota during May's geomagnetic storm, told Spaceweather.com. "All my cousins called me during the storm to tell me that 'my auroras' were driving them crazy while they were planting." Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter now Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox. Most large, modern tractors use GPS to help their drivers plant and harvest crops in perfectly straight lines, maximizing farmers' potential output. But to do this, the tractors' computers need to be in clear and constant contact with GPS satellites, located in low Earth orbit (LEO). During geomagnetic storms, our planet's upper atmosphere can expand, get pulled out of shape and become more dense as it soaks up solar radiation, which can interfere with GPS signals being sent to and from LEO. "If it just happens at the wrong time, in the wrong season, if it holds everything up by three or four days. It can have a significant impact on agriculture," Scott McIntosh , a solar physicist and vice president of the space weather prediction and mitigation company Lynker Space, told Live Science's sister site Space.com . Tractors built by John Deere and using their GPS navigation system, commonly referred to as "Autosteer," seemed to have been particularly affected by the geomagnetic disturbances, with several farmers reporting issues with the vehicles during May's superstorm, Business Insider reported at the time. But other vehicles were also impacted. "At least 50% of all farmers are very reliant on GPS and use it on every machine all year long," Ethan Smidt, a service manager for John Deere, told Spacewetaher.com. But these issues have not just been confined to May's freak event. Many farmers in the U.S. also experienced the same issues during a "severe" G4 storm in early October . "My GPS was off by close to a foot [in October]. Twice while on Autosteer, the tractor danced a row to the left, to the right... so I had to loop around and start over," Ramstad said. "By nightfall, there was no controlling the Autosteer." This issue also impacted other farmers across many other northern states, such as Indiana. An unnamed farmer from Iowa also shared striking photos of wonky rows of crops planted during October's storm, showing how the tractor had continually danced back and forth along the lines. — X9 solar flare launched from sun is the biggest in 7 years — and Earth is in the firing line (again) — Sunspots surge to 23-year high as solar maximum continues to intensify far beyond initial expectations — No, you didn't see a solar flare during the total eclipse — but you may have seen something just as special Many other GPS-reliant technologies were also likely impacted by the recent geomagnetic storms, and some satellites have even been knocked out of LEO by the increased drag from our temporarily expanding atmosphere. However, it will take time to properly assess the impacts of these storms and solar maximum in general. The sun's explosive peak could persist for up to a year, and some scientists are warning that solar activity will remain high, or potentially even increase, during a newly described phase of the sun's cycle, known as the "battle zone" — a period after solar maximum during which large magnetic bands on the sun fight one another. As a result, we will likely see many more GPS-related space weather effects in the near future.
A fresh coat of paint and track lighting has turned a former gender-affirming clothing shop into an art gallery, library and gathering space with a similar community-minded mission. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * A fresh coat of paint and track lighting has turned a former gender-affirming clothing shop into an art gallery, library and gathering space with a similar community-minded mission. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? A fresh coat of paint and track lighting has turned a former gender-affirming clothing shop into an art gallery, library and gathering space with a similar community-minded mission. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS From left: Revolution Wellness Centre’s Carla Taylor co-founded Matter Queer Space with spouses Bre Cristobal Calma and Nix Cristobal Calma in the basement below the centre. Matter Queer Space Manitoba — located in the previous basement home of Closet Space at 433 Graham Ave. — is a non-profit venture designed to offer LGBTTQ+ and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of colour) Winnipeggers a welcoming place to connect over art, books and shared interests. “A lot of (hanging out) happens in bars and not all queers are into that scene.” Matter was founded by spouses Bre and Nix Cristobal Calma and friend Carla Taylor, who runs Revolution Wellness Centre on the building’s main floor. “There aren’t a lot, if any, spaces in the community right now to just come and be together,” Bre says, adding the goal is to offer barrier-free programming to visitors of all ages. “Having a queer intergenerational space, that’s a really big thing because the queer community can be segmented in some ways,” Nix says. “A lot of (hanging out) happens in bars and not all queers are into that scene.” The basement is bright and cosy, with a gallery room at one end, library shelving in the middle and seating areas throughout. There are plans to add a gender-affirming retail shop in the future. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Matter Queer Space Manitoba is a new art gallery, library and programming space for the local LGBTTQ+ and BIPOC community. In addition to art shows and workshops, the programming schedule is going to be community-driven, meaning anyone is invited to pitch and host public or private events that fit with Matter’s mandate. Ideas discussed so far include yoga classes, movie nights, craft groups and a reading club. “Not a book club, where you have to sit and talk; instead, you sit and collectively read together. You’re not necessarily forced into socialization that may be uncomfortable for some people, but it still gives you an opportunity to be out and around people that you know will accept you as you are,” Taylor explains. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS While Matter Queer Space Manitoba launches Saturday with an open house and maker’s market, the gallery space will open in January. It’s the kind of gathering that speaks to the project’s overall ethos. “We picture this space as a bit of an introvert haven,” Taylor says. Matter launches Saturday with an open house and mini maker’s market from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. featuring goods from 15 queer vendors, with sensory-friendly and mask-required shopping during the first two hours. The first art exhibit is set to open in January, featuring the work of local visual artist and muralist Cat Hues, a.k.a. Pink Panda. Matter’s founders believe it will be one of the city’s first permanent gallery spaces designated specifically for showing work by marginalized LGBTTQ+ artists. “It’s surprising it hasn’t been done yet because there are a lot of wonderful, racialized, trans, queer, non-binary artists,” says Nix, who is also a multimedia artist. “We picture this space as a bit of an introvert haven.” With every exhibit, the featured artist will be invited to host talks and art-making workshops for the public, the results of which will be turned into a group show curated by the artist. “We really want to challenge the idea of meritocracy. This idea that you have to have a degree in art curation to curate an exhibit,” Bre says. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Matter’s library — which is the continuation of a project started by Taylor and friend Renu Shonek in 2019 — is stocked with borrowable books by bell hooks, Joshua Whitehead, James Baldwin and others. A book drive by Winnipeg’s Willow Press has brought dozens of new titles into the fold and Matter is accepting donations of used books of any genre by queer BIPOC authors. “We know these books are out there, but not everyone does. It’s nice to bring them together in a collection to learn about more authors and more talent in the community, and even to encourage some of our community members in their own writing and creativity,” Taylor says. To reduce financial barriers for visitors, the programming at Matter will be offered on a pay-what-you-can basis. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Other than donations collected through a GoFundMe campaign, the organizers have been footing the bill for the project out-of-pocket. They hope to find sustainable, long-term funding in the future. “This has definitely been a passion project and a labour of love. The three of us are just community members, none of us have experience doing any of this — running galleries or libraries — but it’s a space that we wanted to see and we knew there was a need for,” says Bre. “Nobody else was doing it, so someone had to.” Visit for more information. eva.wasney@winnipegfreepress.com Eva Wasney has been a reporter with the Arts & Life department since 2019. . Every piece of reporting Eva produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the ‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about , and . Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider . Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. 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