Another series of solar storms disrupted the internet, transit and telecommunications networks, base stations, and power grids. The Sun's swirling convection currents in the upper atmosphere discharge billions of tonnes of magnetized plasma into space on rare occasions.
Reports said a strong geomagnetic storm could affect the internet, telephones, and other electrical equipment. Weather events occur when the Sun ejects a massive bubble of superheated fuel known as plasma.
A coronal mass ejection is a bubble that contains a cloud of electrically conducting protons and electrons. The magnetic discipline twists and weakens whenever these molecules clash with the magnetic constraint that surrounds the planet.
According to Space.com, it's above 100 amperes and might harm the equipment. Suppose a significant geomagnetic storm strikes right now. In that case, it might disrupt the great majority of electrical systems that people use daily. If that happens, it might cost trillions of dollars and put the lives of billions of people in danger simply because we rely on power and developing technology for everything, even medical emergencies. It would take us back to the Middle Ages in terms of human knowledge.
In a screen grab taken from a handout timelapse sequence provided by NASA / SDO, a solar spot in the center of the Sun is captured from which the first X-class flare was emitted in four years on February 14, 2011.
Sun Unloads Solar Flare Filaments Yet Again
On April 3, plasma filaments broke from a flaming canyon on the Sun's surface, generating intense streams of magnetized solar wind that might deliver additional auroras to Earth later this week.
According to Space Weather, the "canyon of fire" is at least 12,400 miles (20,000 kilometers) deep and 10 times longer.
Another Space.com report, citing the Met Office in the United Kingdom, verified that two "filament eruptions" happened in the Sun's south-central region. The eruptions were visible to satellites in the extreme ultraviolet section of the electromagnetic spectrum, and terrestrial telescopes were prepared to view them in the warmth-carrying infrared wavelengths.
The first filament was fired from the Sun on Sunday (April 3) around 11 a.m. EDT, and the second was blasted from the Sun on Monday, around 5 p.m. EDT.
Met Office pointed out that both eruptions were followed by coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which are charged plasma expulsions from the Sun's upper atmosphere or corona. When a CME collides with Earth, it can disrupt the planet's magnetic field, resulting in a geomagnetic storm.
Satellite communications can be disrupted, and equipment in orbit can be damaged by powerful geomagnetic storms. These storms can potentially disrupt electricity grids on the ground in some circumstances. On the plus side, geomagnetic storms frequently provide breathtaking aurora displays for skywatchers on Earth.
The CME from Sunday's explosion will arrive on Earth on Wednesday (April 6) around 10 a.m. EDT and will most likely cause just a minor geomagnetic storm, a level G1 or G2 on a five-point scale, according to the Met Office. The Met Office noted that space weather analysts are unsure if the CME triggered by Monday's outburst would strike the planet.
ALSO READ: Sun Had Another Geomagnetic Storm; Horrifying Solar Flare, Stunning Northern Lights Seen In US Skies
How Solar Flares Affect Communications
Mashable said these geomagnetic storms have the potential to damage the internet and fry the fragile electronics on satellites in the sky, resulting in a full shutdown of telephones linked by these satellites. These storms can potentially disrupt Internet and cellphone service due to undersea connections. While the cables themselves will be unaffected by the storms, the digital and power connectors linked to them will be destroyed, resulting in service outages that might last anywhere from three to six months.
On a scale of one to five, the strength of geomagnetic storms is graded, with G1 signifying a minor storm and G5 indicating a major one. The most notable recorded account of a geomagnetic storm is the Carrington Event, which happened in 1859 and was classed G5. The Carrington Event's energy is mainly dictated by the observatory's current readings of the Earth's magnetic field.
RELATED ARTICLE: Sunspot Releases Huge X-Class Solar Flare; Cannibal Coronal Mass Ejection Brings Northern Lights to Places They Are Not Typically Seen
Check out more news and information on Space in Science Times.