Powerful Solar Flare , Causes Radio Blackout and Sends , CME Toward Earth.
'Newsweek' reports that a massive plume of solar plasma
is headed toward Earth following the largest solar
flare in the sun's current 11-year cycle to date.
The December 14 solar flare was recorded as an
X2.8-class flare, making it the most powerful
to occur since September of 2017.
The resulting coronal mass ejection (CME) is expected to hit Earth's
atmosphere on December 17 and has already caused
a shortwave radio blackout across both North and South America.
The impact may lead to further power issues, satellite
problems, radio blackouts and even the possibility of
auroras being visible as far south as Oregon and Illinois.
The impact may lead to further power issues, satellite
problems, radio blackouts and even the possibility of
auroras being visible as far south as Oregon and Illinois.
'Newsweek' reports that the CME headed
toward Earth is believed to be traveling at
approximately 4.7 million miles per hour. .
The impact could cause geomagnetic storms as powerful
as category G2 (moderate) or G3 (strong), which can lead to
a number of problems for power grids, radio waves and satellites.
The amount of energy in an X class
flare can sound scary, but the true
impact for us on Earth depends very
much on a number of factors. , Alan Woodward, a professor of computer science and space
weather expert at the University of Surrey, England, via 'Newsweek'.
Some give comparisons of the
'Carrington Event' in 1859, which is
thought to have released more power
than millions of the largest nuclear
bomb ever exploded on Earth. , Alan Woodward, a professor of computer science and space
weather expert at the University of Surrey, England, via 'Newsweek'.
However, the chances of a flare
affecting the Earth are lessened
because the flares pop out in
all directions, decreasing the
chance of them hitting Earth, Alan Woodward, a professor of computer science and space
weather expert at the University of Surrey, England, via 'Newsweek'.
'Newsweek' reports that the next
solar maximum is set to occur sometime
between January and October of 2024