On June 20, an X1.1-class solar flare erupted on the Sun, making it one of the biggest explosions seen this year. The flare sparked a shortwave radio blackout across North America that affected wireless communications for as long as 30 minutes after the flare first erupted. NASA also spotted a massive coronal mass ejection (CME) cloud escaping after the blast. This CME is extremely potent and has been classified as Type II solar emission. This dangerous CME is capable of delivering an extremely dangerous solar storm. Luckily, its main targets are Venus and Mars, but even the Earth can get hit by a glancing blow from it.
According to a SpaceWeather.com report, “A CME launched into space will hit Venus and Mars, according to a NASA model. The strike on Venus (June 22nd) will probably erode a small amount of the planet’s upper atmosphere”. The report also mentioned that the Earth can face glancing blows, while Mars will face it head-on and get struck by a solar storm on June 25. The Martian auroras can be seen through various Mars-orbiting satellites.
Solar storm to strike three planets
Intense solar storm activities are rare, but rarer still is the fact that three planets in the inner solar system get hit by the same CME cloud to spark such storms. The intensity of the storm can be assessed from the fact that a NASA model has predicted that a small amount of Venus’ atmosphere can erode as a result of this collision.
Mars will also suffer similar consequences and the auroras will be so bright that even a satellite orbiting the planet will be able to see it. Earth might get lucky and escape with only a glancing blow that might be much less in intensity. Such a solar storm can affect mobile networks, damage satellites, and disrupt GPS, but it is not expected to affect any ground-based electronics or the internet.
The true intensity of this solar storm can only be assessed once it strikes.
How NASA SOHO monitors the Sun
NASA’s SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) is a satellite that was launched on December 2, 1995. It is a joint project between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) to study the sun, its atmosphere, and its effects on the solar system. Equipped with 12 scientific instruments, such as the Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT), Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI), LASCO (Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph), and others, SOHO captures images of the sun’s corona, measures the velocity and magnetic fields of the sun’s surface, and observes the faint corona around the sun.
On June 20, an X1.1-class solar flare erupted on the Sun, making it one of the biggest explosions seen this year. The flare sparked a shortwave radio blackout across North America that affected wireless communications for as long as 30 minutes after the flare first erupted. NASA also spotted a massive coronal mass ejection (CME) cloud escaping after the blast. This CME is extremely potent and has been classified as Type II solar emission. This dangerous CME is capable of delivering an extremely dangerous solar storm. Luckily, its main targets are Venus and Mars, but even the Earth can get hit by a glancing blow from it.
According to a SpaceWeather.com report, “A CME launched into space will hit Venus and Mars, according to a NASA model. The strike on Venus (June 22nd) will probably erode a small amount of the planet’s upper atmosphere”. The report also mentioned that the Earth can face glancing blows, while Mars will face it head-on and get struck by a solar storm on June 25. The Martian auroras can be seen through various Mars-orbiting satellites.
Solar storm to strike three planets
Intense solar storm activities are rare, but rarer still is the fact that three planets in the inner solar system get hit by the same CME cloud to spark such storms. The intensity of the storm can be assessed from the fact that a NASA model has predicted that a small amount of Venus’ atmosphere can erode as a result of this collision.
Mars will also suffer similar consequences and the auroras will be so bright that even a satellite orbiting the planet will be able to see it. Earth might get lucky and escape with only a glancing blow that might be much less in intensity. Such a solar storm can affect mobile networks, damage satellites, and disrupt GPS, but it is not expected to affect any ground-based electronics or the internet.
The true intensity of this solar storm can only be assessed once it strikes.
How NASA SOHO monitors the Sun
NASA’s SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) is a satellite that was launched on December 2, 1995. It is a joint project between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) to study the sun, its atmosphere, and its effects on the solar system. Equipped with 12 scientific instruments, such as the Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT), Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI), LASCO (Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph), and others, SOHO captures images of the sun’s corona, measures the velocity and magnetic fields of the sun’s surface, and observes the faint corona around the sun.