Last night, a massive solar flare erupted from a colossal and unstable sunspot, resulting in radio blackouts on Earth and unleashing a scorching plasma plume through the sun’s atmosphere at speeds reaching 400 km/s, as reported by Space.com.
A solar flare, characterized by a brief outburst of intense high-energy radiation from the sun’s surface, typically accompanies sunspots and triggers disruptions in radio and magnetic signals on Earth.
According to the report, solar physicist Keith Strong shared information about the eruption on X, revealing that the prolonged solar flare originating from the sunspot region AR3575 commenced on Monday (Feb 5) at 8:30 pm EST (0130 GMT on Feb 6) and reached its peak at 10:15 EST (0315 GMT on Feb 6). Additionally, the eruption resulted in coronal mass ejections (CMEs), described by NASA as expansive bubbles of coronal plasma interlaced with intense magnetic field lines, which are expelled from the Sun.
CMEs have the potential to generate geomagnetic storms, capable of causing anomalies and disturbances on Earth, particularly affecting the modern amenities upon which the world relies. While geomagnetic storms may produce magnificent auroras, delighting sky-watchers, they can also disrupt Earth-orbiting satellites.
Commenting on the CME, Strong noted in the post that the solar flare’s originating region is situated “a long way south” of the Sun, suggesting that it might bypass Earth’s trajectory.
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