Satellites observing our nearest star have revealed a massive solar flare that was the strongest in years. For planet Earth, this could result in a geomagnetic storm that should manifest as early as Tuesday. In the northern hemisphere, where the Czech Republic is also located, the aurora borealis is most likely to appear.
Scientists from the American Centers for Space Weather Prediction noticed the increased activity of the Sun just a few hours before the start of the new year. Although solar eruptions are nothing new to experts, this one surprised them with its intensity. This is probably the biggest eruption since 2017.
And our planet will also feel its effects. Experts predict that solar particles flying towards Earth will trigger a so-called geomagnetic storm, which is expected to start as early as Tuesday. The result will be the aurora borealis, which should be visible in most of the northern hemisphere – and thus also in the Czech Republic.
“Although the peak is behind us, the eruption is still ongoing. We can expect it to continue for several more hours,” British solar astrophysicist Ryan French wrote on the X social network on Monday.
Solar flares are large explosions of electromagnetic radiation on the surface of stars. The particles they eject often also reach the Earth. Thanks to the atmosphere, however, the radiation does not reach the earth’s surface, and therefore cannot harm people. However, if they are strong enough, they can disrupt, for example, GPS systems and communication networks, so auroras are not the only consequence of massive eruptions.
The observed eruption is classified as X5. The letter X denotes the largest class of solar flares. The size is further indicated by numbers from one to nine for all classes except for class X, which has no limit.
Massive eruption on the Sun | Source: Center for Space Weather Prediction
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2024-01-02 15:10:00
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