by Last night (April 30), the sun released an extremely powerful solar flare that started widespread radio blackouts across the Pacific region. It peaked at 7:46 pm EDT (2346 GMT) and ended shortly thereafter at 7:58 pm EDT (2358).
Solar flares There are eruptions from the suna surface that emits intense bursts of electromagnetic radiation. They are formed when magnetic energy builds up in the solar atmosphere and is released. Solar flares are categorized by size into lettered groups, with class X being the most powerful. Then there are M-class flares which are 10 times less powerful than X-class flares, followed by C-class flares which are 10 times weaker than M-class flares, B class is 10 times weaker than C-class flares and finally. , A-class flares which are 10 times weaker than B-class flares and have without any significant consequences on Earth.
Within each class, numbers from 1-10 (and beyond for X-class flares) describe the relative strength of flares. The recent April 30 flare was clocked in at M9.53, according to Spaceweatherlive.commeasured by NASA’s GOES-16 satellite, which places it just a fraction below an X-class solar flare.
Related: Watch 4 solar flares erupt from the sun almost simultaneously in a rare event (video)
Shortwave radio blackouts like the one seen over the Pacific Ocean are common shortly after powerful solar eruptions caused by the strong pulse of X-rays and extreme ultraviolet radiation emitted during the event. The radiation goes towards World at the speed of light and ionizes the top of it The Earth’s Atmosphere when it reaches us.
This ionization creates a high-density environment that the high-frequency shortwave radio signals must try to pass through to support communication over long distances. The radio waves that interact with electrons in the ionized layers they lose energy due to more frequent collisions, and radio signals can degrade or be completely absorbed according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Space Weather Prediction Center.
Radiation from the April 30 solar flare affected those on the sunward side of Earth at the time of the eruption, the Pacific Ocean region. “Sailors and ham radio operators may have noticed signal loss below 20 MHz for up to 30 minutes after the peak of the flare,” according to Spaceweather.com.
Solar activity is increasing as we approach solar maximum, the peak of solar activity during approximately 11 solar years solar cyclerepresented by the frequency of sun spots.
Despite the large number of sunspots currently visible on the surface of the sun, our star has been relatively quiet in recent weeks. But not now.
The near X-class solar flare erupted from the spotlight region AR3654, the most powerful eruption from this region yet.
“It’s always exciting when a sunspot region exceeds its potential. AR3654 has done just that.” solar scientist Alex Young posted on X.
“Despite a high number of sunspots over the past few weeks, tonight’s #SolarFlare near X-class is the first reasonably large flare in a while! When and where will the next X-class event occur?” solar astrophysicist Ryan French posted on X.
Solar scientists are keeping a close eye on the sun as it approaches solar maximum because solar activity can affect our life on Earth.
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— There is a wild weather of sun falling satellites. It’s getting worse.
— Satellites can disappear during major solar storms and may take weeks to locate
Powerful flares can seriously damage spacecraft, satellites and ground-based technologies, travel at the speed of light, and give little notice before they strike. That’s why many organizations – including NASA, NOAA and the US Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA) – are closely monitoring the sun. These organizations can send warnings to technology and infrastructure sectors that are at risk of solar flare activity so that appropriate precautions can be taken in the event of potentially harmful space weather.
“We cannot ignore space weatherbut we can take appropriate measures to protect ourselves,” says NASA.
But no need to worry; there are no so-called “killer flares” and while solar flares have the potential to seriously disrupt the technological world, they do not contain enough energy to cause any permanent damage to the Earth itself.
“Even at their worst, solar flares are not physically capable of destroying Earth,” says NASA.
