cme storm

NASA has a full suite of instruments to measure solar activity that affects Earth. The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory or SOHO is one of the premier instruments that is used by NASA and ESA. Launched in 1995, SOHO is equipped with 12 scientific instruments, such as an 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…

After an amazing sunspot-filled June, July appears set to continue the trend of extreme solar volatility. We have already seen a radio blackout this month after a solar flare erupted on the notorious sunspot AR3554. Now, two separate coronal mass ejections (CME) have been released from the Sun and they are both partly Earth-directed, as per data from NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory. This means that both will graze the Earth and spark solar storm events. And to make matters worse, it is expected that the second…

This week's solar storm prediction models had earlier claimed that today, July 1, was likely to be the worst affected by solar activities. The prediction is likely to come true as a coronal mass ejection (CME) is expected to hit the Earth and deliver a glancing blow later today. This solar storm event is arriving after a bit of a quiet period where Earth escaped as many as three CME hits. Researchers are concerned about the intensity of the storm as well as its adverse effects on satellites and wireless communication…

After an unremarkable weekend, solar activity is again picking up speed. Last week, we witnessed two separate radio blackout events triggered by an X-class solar flare and an M-class solar flare. While the CME escaped the Earth and no solar storms were to be seen, this week the fear is far greater. A sunspot in Earth's view named AR3340 has gone unstable and is now harboring a delta-class magnetic field, which is a big catalyst for solar flare eruptions. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has…

While Earth's magnetosphere deflects most solar activity carried by solar events, some charged particles seep through. These energetic particles cause magnetic disturbances, classified as Geomagnetic storms. These supercharged storms can wreak havoc on all forms of wireless communication, including GPS, mobile networks, and satellite communication. Power grids are also susceptible to fluctuations and could potentially sustain irreversible damage.In light of the danger that is posed by geomagnetic storms, forecasters at…

Just yesterday, a NASA model revealed the massive coronal mass ejection (CME) cloud that was released from the blast site of the X1-class solar flare eruption that was going to hit both Mars and Venus. Now, a new model from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has revealed that the Earth will also get blasted by the cloud today, June 23. Shockingly, NASA had stated that the CME is so strong that a part of Venus' atmosphere might erode as a result of the impact. It cannot be assessed at the moment…

Geomagnetic storms can wreak havoc on Earth as they have the power to destroy all the communications and electrical infrastructure on Earth and even the satellites up in the sky. And Earth has been, and is being, continuously bombarded by Geomagnetic storms, and not a single week has gone by without one incident of solar particles hitting our atmosphere recently. In fact, the year 2023 has been an eventful year for astronomers and skywatchers and you too should know what these storms are all about.So, do you know what…

Just yesterday, an unstable sunspot named AR3335 exploded, producing a solar flare that triggered blackouts over the Atlantic Ocean. The resulting solar flare was M2.5 in intensity and caused a shortwave radio blackout. Solar activity has been on the rise for the past few months, and it is expected to increase further until solar maximum, the period of greatest solar activity during the Sun's 11-year cycle. Solar flare riskAccording to a report by spaceweather.com, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) forecasters have…

Solar activity has been at a high in the last few months and that is probably due to the approaching Solar Maximum. Sun entered solar cycle 25 in 2019 and it is expected that it will hit its peak in July 2025, thus resulting in increased solar activity even further during the peak. Therefore, we can expect solar phenomena such as sunspot eruptions, solar storms, solar flares, geomagnetic storms, and more, to bombard Earth.Recently, forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have issued a…

For the last three days, scientists have been looking at two dangerous sunspots that have been threatening the Earth with a potential X-class solar flare eruption, but luckily, they have not exploded yet. But one of them, sunspot AR3311, blasted an M1.9-class flare four days ago, as it was beginning to face the Earth. The coronal mass ejection (CME) from the eruption is now expected to hit our planet today, May 27, as per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This means another attack by these…