solar storm blackout

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported on Monday that the high number of sunspots on the Earth-facing side of the Sun can become a concern as some of them could go unstable. One of the sunspots, AR3327, has finally developed a delta-class magnetic field that is considered highly reactive and dangerous. In the late hours of June 7, it exploded erupting an M4.5-class solar flare. The flare was strong enough to send strong ultraviolet radiation to Earth and spark a shortwave radio blackout over…

After almost three weeks of remaining relatively dormant, the solar activity is ramping up again. In the last few days, multiple new developments have created a concern for astronomers and researchers. First on the list is the emergence of a new sunspot that has been spotted on the southeastern limb of the Sun. It has already exploded once, producing an M4-class solar flare that sparked radio blackouts on Earth on May 31. As it now moves to face the Earth, fears of intense solar storms are at an all-time high.In separate…

Yesterday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) revealed that despite the active sunspot AR3315 beginning to decay, it could trigger a solar storm on Earth. And just a day later, satellites pick up solar winds that were possibly released from the activity on the sunspot and are likely going to spark a solar storm on Earth tomorrow, June 2. The solar storm is not expected to be a major one, but it can still disrupt wireless communications and cause a radio blackout. Check the details.As per a report…

The Carrington event is the most intense solar storm event in our recorded history, but it occurred 164 years ago in 1859, and back then, humans had rudimentary communications technology, but even then it sparked fires to break out spontaneously and the operators suffered electric shocks. But one does not need to go that far to realize the terrifying potential of solar storms. 34 years ago, the Earth witnessed the worst solar storm of the century and it was so powerful that it knocked out power grids in Canada. Not only…

The weekend passed without any solar activity, but things are about to change. The highly unstable sunspot, AR3311, which was responsible for an X-class solar flare eruption last week that resulted in radio blackouts on Earth, can again explode to a terrifying effect. Unlike last time, right now the sunspot is in full Earth view and any eruptions will be geoeffective. This means a stronger ultraviolet radiation impact, which means a wider radio blackout, and a more powerful solar storm event. But just how devastating can…

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-16 (GOES-16), operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has picked up some really concerning data. According to its X-Ray Flux readings, two sunspots on the eastern limb of the Sun have been exploding without a pause and erupting M-class solar flares in the process. These solar flares are still not entirely Earth-facing but even then, the Earth has been facing a rolling series of blackouts across all its longitudes. These two sunspots also…

After a relatively low period of solar activity, the Sun sprung back into action yesterday, May 16. A near-X-class solar flare eruption occurred on the southeastern limb of the Sun. Even as the explosion was on the horizon of the Sun and a part of it was eclipsed due to its edge, the solar flare had a major impact on the Earth. Ultraviolet radiation ionized the upper atmosphere and caused a shortwave radio blackout over North America and the northern parts of South America. And now, fears are rising over another major…

The minor geomagnetic storm, which was supposed to be sparked by multiple coronal mass ejections (CMEs), has passed us by without causing much concern. However, a new development on the Sun has begun troubling the Earth. A sunspot complex including AR3293, AR3294, AR3295, and AR3296 has turned unstable and is crackling with solar flares. These flares have been erupting incessantly and as a result of the intense ultraviolet (UV) radiation, a rolling series of radio blackouts have been caused on Earth. Find out if another…

It has been almost a week since the last solar storm hit the Earth. And it was a relatively minor storm that did not really affect us much. The worst was experienced over the Indian Ocean region where a temporary radio blackout was observed. But things are about to change quickly for the worse. NASA has issued a warning over a major solar storm strike on Earth. The initial hit is expected tomorrow, April 19, when glancing blows are expected and on April 20, a massive direct hit has been predicted. If this solar storm…

For the second time in less than a week, the Indian Ocean region has become a target for solar disturbances. On April 6, a solar flare eruption disrupted GPS service and low-frequency radio waves resulting in a short-wave radio blackout in the region. And now, in the late hours of April 10, another eruption, this time an M2-class flare, occurred which resulted in blackouts over the Indian Ocean region and Australia. Notably, the geoeffective area for this blackout included India, Japan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and other…