NASA: A massive solar flare blasting off the Sun’s surface sent a solar storm toward Earth on April 17. The solar storm was so powerful that it caused radio loss.
According to the US Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), an intense flash of light on the Sun’s surface caused radio blackouts in Asia and Australia. On Sunday, April 17, a solar flare peaked and was soon followed by a solar mass ejection (CME). The CME was thrown in the direction of the Earth and as a result an early solar storm hit the planet with such intensity that radio frequencies collapsed across the entire large geographic area of Asia and Australia. NASA says it affects pilots, sailors and others. Some places have had to shut down their VHF radio bands. Find out how powerful solar storms are and why Earth is being bombarded by solar storms so often these days.
SWPC, a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), reported that the solar flare that caused the radio blackout was a Class X1.1 flare. Level X solar flares are the most powerful available and they can deal the highest amount of damage. For those who haven’t started yet, the sun’s rays are classified into A, B, C, M and X. While A, B and C are the weakest and usually don’t release enough energy to cause a flare. Solar flares are significant, M and X are moderate, and solar flares can cause some damage.
NASA: X-class sunlight leads to radio blackout on Earth
Solar storms are often associated with auroras in the sky, but cases like these show how dangerous they really can be. The solar outburst was also recorded by NASA’s Solar Dynamic Observatory. It states, “An X-ray pulse from the flame produced a strong shortwave radio blackout in Southeast Asia and Australia.” Citing affected areas, it added, “Mariners, pilots and ham radio operators may have noticed unusual propagating effects at frequencies below 30 MHz”.
Interestingly, NOAA had previously modeled the orbit of the CME launching towards Earth, and predicted that it would slip past our planet and pass right behind us without harm. However, it appears that the CME changed direction at the last moment and tilted towards Earth.
Sunspots originate in Zones 2994 and 2993. These regions of the Sun have an active cluster of sunspots that continuously bombard our planet with solar storms. “Solar activity is expected to be active over the next week as these sunspots move across the display disk,” SWPC said in an update.
