![]() “However – when intense enough – they can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel.” When have major geomagnetic storms hit Earth? A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. “Harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth’s atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground,” Nasa says. They can lead to the appearance of colourful auroras by energising particles in our planet’s atmosphereĮach solar storm is graded by severity on a scale of one to five, with a G1 described as “minor” and a G5 as “extreme”.Īt the upper end of the scale, storms wreak havoc on our planet’s magnetic field, which can disrupt power grids and communications networks. Geomagnetic storms are caused by CMEs, which are huge expulsions of hot material called plasma from the Sun’s outer layer. ![]() What are geomagnetic storms? The flares pose no threats because they fired off on the side facing away from Earth. While it might sound frightening, it’s all part of our Sun’s normal activity – so there’s no need to panic just yet.Īstronomers keep a close eye on the Sun’s activity to ensure that there is plenty of warning before any potential geomagnetic storm hits. The rest of the flares in February have fallen into the milder C-class category. One such flare led to a solar storm on January 29 that knocked 40 SpaceX satellites out of action. Three of them have fallen into the second-most powerful flare category, M-class flares. Some days have seen multiple solar flares. ![]() The Sun has erupted every day for the month of February, according to Dr Phillips. It’s been a busy month of solar activity. “If this region remains huge as it rotates to the Earth-facing side of the Sun, it could give us some exciting flares.” The sun fired off two enormous explosions from its far side. “This is only the second farside active region of this size since September 2017,” astronomer Junwei Zhao of Stanford University’s helioseismology group told SpaceWeather. We may have dodged a bullet.”īased on its size, it’s possible that the eruption was an X-class flare: The most powerful category possible. “However, if such a CME did strike, it could produce a very strong geomagnetic storm. Writing on his website, which tracks the sun’s activity, he said: “This CME will not hit Earth it is moving away from, not toward our planet. If they hit Earth, the plumes of material can trigger geomagnetic storms that knock out satellites and disrupt power grids.įortunately, this week’s CME was fired from the side of the Sun that faces away from our planet and so poses no threat, says astronomer Dr Tony Phillips. On Tuesday, our star fired off two enormous explosions from its farside in what has already been a heavy month of solar activity.Ī magnificent coronal mass ejection (CME) was recorded by Nasa’s STEREO-A spacecraft in the early hours of February 15.ĬMEs are giant eruptions that send plasma hurtling through space – and the Sun has undergone several of them throughout the month. The sun has been pretty busy the past few weeks. Two injured passengers airlifted to hospital after plane crash Mysterious object 100x larger than the Milky Way discovered by astronomers Instagram stars reveal how YOU can get paid for posts with under 10,000 followers
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