Story by HT Tech • Yesterday
The Sun is confusing everyone. Just yesterday, we had an off-chance of a minor solar storm possibility due to fast-moving solar winds that were approaching the Earth. And today, as many as five different sunspots and two filaments of magnetism have emerged on the Earth-facing disk side of the Sun. This is the most active the Sun has been in months and it is directed entirely at our planet. If any explosion sets off, it would mean a massive burst of magnetic waves hitting our planet and causing all kinds of destruction. While we monitor that, a solar flare burst from the Sun's active region and it is headed for the Earth. Now, a dangerous solar storm is set to strike our planet tomorrow, December 8. How may it affect us? Read on.
According to a report by Interesting Engineering, a set of solar flares went off on the surface of the Sun and the coronal mass ejection (CME) escaping from the Sun is set to hit the Earth tomorrow. While the early prediction suggests that the solar storm can be of G1-class intensity, it will only be able to confirm this once the storm strikes our planet.
Solar storm to hit the Earth tomorrow
While G1-class solar storms are typically not the strongest, they can still cause a significant amount of problems. They are capable of causing disruption in radio waves, even a blackout. This can also impact GPS systems. As a result, flight timings can be delayed and ship transportation can be affected.
But with a number of active sunspots ready to explode, there is a chance of a G5-class solar storm. It can have disastrous consequences for Earth. The strongest solar storms can damage satellites, impact mobile networks and internet connectivity as well as cause power grid failure. Although humans will not be directly impacted by the radiation, due to disruptions to emergency services and power outages at places of high importance, it can still cause a high number of deaths.
The tech that monitors the Sun
Among many satellites and telescopes observing the Sun currently, one is the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). The SDO carries a full suite of instruments to observe the Sun and has been doing so since 2010. It uses three very crucial instruments to collect data from various solar activities. They include Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) which takes high-resolution measurements of the longitudinal and vector magnetic field over the entire visible solar disk, Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE) which measures the Sun's extreme ultraviolet irradiance and Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) which provides continuous full-disk observations of the solar chromosphere and corona in seven extreme ultraviolet (EUV) channels.
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