Massive solar storm causes worldwide blackouts as experts warn the worst is yet to come
Massive solar storm causes worldwide blackouts as experts warn the worst is yet to come
READ MORE: 1.4 million people plunged into darkness due to solar storm
By ELLYN LAPOINTE
The sun has unleashed the strongest solar flare of the year, triggering strong radio blackouts across the globe.
Just after 11:30am ET Tuesday morning, an X-class solar flare — the biggest kind — shot out of a newly emerging sunspot called AR4087. Sunspots are cool, dark regions on the sun's surface where the magnetic field is much stronger than anywhere else.
These areas of intense magnetic activity can emit bursts of plasma called solar flares. If a flare is large enough and directed toward Earth, it can send radiation hurtling toward our planet.
When those charged particles reach the outer layer of Earth's atmosphere, they create long lasting radiation storms that may trigger radio blackouts, knock out power grids and damage satellites.
The radiation storm caused by Tuesday's solar flare led to strong radio blackouts across Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
X-class solar flares are rare. These fiery eruptions are ranked in strength by five classes: A, B, C, M and X, with A being the weakest and X being the strongest.
Each flare is also assigned a number on a scale of one to nine to further define its strength, with one being the weakest and nine being the strongest.
Tuesday's flare was an X2.7, which means it was at the lower end of the most powerful class of solar flares.
The sun has unleashed the strongest solar flare of the year, triggering strong radio blackouts across the globe (STOCK)
The flare sent X-rays and extreme ultraviolet radiation flying towards Earth at the speed of light, which rapidly ionized the upper atmosphere.
In other words, this sudden influx of radiation caused electrons to split off from the molecules that make up the outermost layer of the atmosphere. This causes the atmosphere to become electrically charged.
The charge disrupted high-frequency radio signals, which led to communication blackouts for some radio operators in Europe, Asia and Middle East.
These were the only parts of the world affected because they were on the side of Earth facing the sun when this solar flare erupted.
Experts say we can expect to see more solar flares through next week as sunspot AR4087 rotates to squarely face Earth.
'This is getting intense, especially as this active region turns closer into view,' aurora chaser Vincent Ledvina wrote in a post on X early Wednesday morning.
Following the X-class flare, the sunspot produced another burst of energy: an M5.3 solar flare, he added.
'What does this [active region] have planned over the next days... we'll have to wait and see,' Ledvina wrote.
Just after 11:30am ET Tuesday morning, an X-class solar flare — the biggest kind — shot out of a newly emerging sunspot called AR4087
Just before 7:20am ET Wednesday morning, sunspot AR4087 emitted yet another solar flare: an M7.74.
Last May, representatives local and national government agencies gathered to conduct a tabletop exercise that revealed major weaknesses in America's preparedness for a severe solar storm.
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Minute-by-minute, what would happen if a solar SUPERSTORM hit Earth - as scientists warn one could strike us 'at any moment'
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The exercise lasted two days, and asked the participants to pretend that the sun sent several giant coronal mass ejections (CME) — which are larger and more impactful that solar flares — hurtling toward Earth.
These enormous plumes of charged particles take days to reach Earth. When they slam into the atmosphere, they can cause major disruptions to the planet's magnetic field and the upper atmosphere called geomagnetic storms.
In this scenario, the resulting geomagnetic storm would lead to technological chaos on Earth.
The participants quickly realized that significant limitations of space weather forecasting capabilities prevented them from making quick, effective decisions.
This exercise demonstrated the need to improve forecasting technologies and techniques so that the US is prepared to weather any storm the sun sends its way.
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