Earth's giant solar flare heads at a speed of more than 3 million km/h | Science and Ecology

In recent days, the sun has been increasingly active as its new solar cycle becomes more violent, and it has been alive with a flurry of activity, as sunspots spit out magnetic energy and release fast-moving particles called coronal mass ejections (CMEs).

Now, according to scientists, after detecting 17 solar flares from one sun spot, two of which are heading directly to Earth, the dazzling northern lights can illuminate the sky as far north as the American continent.

“coronal mass ejection of human flesh”

The two Earth-directed eruptions, released by the Sun’s active regions 12975 and 12976 on March 28, merged in a “cannibal coronal mass ejection” and are heading our way at 3,027,599 km/h.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), when it collides with Earth’s magnetic field on the night of March 31, the result will be a powerful G3 geomagnetic storm.

G3 storms are classified as strong geomagnetic storms, which means the upcoming solar flare could bring the aurora borealis as far south as Pennsylvania, Iowa and Oregon in the United States, according to a report. Life Science.

Harmless access to the ground

Our magnetic field is expected to harmlessly absorb storm energy, but large solar storms still have the potential to wreak havoc. G3 storms can cause “intermittent problems with satellite navigation and low-frequency radio navigation,” according to the SWPC.

For its part, the US-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center warned that a charge could occur on the surface of satellite components, which could increase resistance in low-Earth orbiting satellites and that corrections may be necessary. for routing problems.

“Satellite navigation problems and low radio frequencies may occur, and high-frequency radio may be intermittent,” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said in a warning.

A geomagnetic storm destroys 40 Starlink satellites

This isn’t the first time a magnetic storm has hit Earth; The frequency of space weather events increased with the increased activity of the Sun in its new solar cycle. A recent storm in February returned 40 of SpaceX’s Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites back to Earth.

The geomagnetic storm was the result of a coronal mass ejection from the Sun by an M1 solar flare that lasted about four hours. Scientists have also previously warned that a bigger one may have the potential to cripple the internet around the world.

It is important to remember that the sun does not always play well with forecasts. CME can come sooner or later. It’s also possible that it won’t interact as strongly with our magnetic field as expected.

Edited by Felipe Espinosa Wang.