This Easter weekend, a large solar flare triggered radio blackouts on Earth, which could signal a period of increased likelihood of solar storms in the coming days.
According to SWPC (United States Space Weather Prediction Center), the peak of this weekend’s event was recorded at 0:34 a.m. on Sunday (17), followed by a coronal mass ejection (CME). This event causes large explosions of ionized gas at high temperatures, which can cause geomagnetic storms and damage to communications and power stations.
According to the SWPC, the explosion is of Class X1, the most powerful. The eruption erupted from a cluster of sunspots in regions 2994 and 2993, with “significant outbursts” that appeared at a location farther from the Sun than Earth.
The US agency also reported that the event lasted 34 minutes and that solar activity would continue in the days to come.
Because it produced a radio blackout, although brief, the solar flare was classified as Type II.
Astronomer Tony Phillips of the Spaceweather website says that the CME caused by the explosion is probably not directed toward Earth, because it occurred in one of the most distant locations with respect to the planet.
What are solar storms?
solar storm It occurs when a large bubble of superheated gas, known as a plasma, is ejected from the surface of the Sun. The bubble is called a coronal mass ejection.
