A solar flare is projected to travel near Earth's magnetic field, creating a geomagnetic solar storm on Sunday (June 5) or Monday (June 6).
A solar flare known as a coronal mass ejection (CME) was hurled into space by an outburst of the sun last June 2, according to space specialists.
Massive plasma expulsions from the sun's outer layer, or corona, can cause electrical grid disruption.
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.
Solar Flare to Closely Pass By Earth
Weather experts warned about the upcoming geomagnetic storm over the weekend.
"Yesterday, a magnetic filament on the sun erupted, hurling a faint CME into space," the experts at SpaceWeather.com said, The Sun reported.
It's expected to reach Earth's magnetic field on Sunda or Monday, according to NOAA predictions.
Even small CMEs can create geomagnetic storms. Therefore modest G1-class storms are possible when the CME arrives.
CMEs are usually protected by the Earth's magnetic field. However, the more severe impacts of solar flares cannot always be prevented.
Thankfully, because this is merely a "G1-class" storm, we're only expected to suffer modest power grid oscillations and might be limited satellite communication impairment if this solar flare hits Earth.
According to SpaceWeather.com, solar storms that affect Earth are categorized by severity, with "G1-class" being at the bottom of the list.
"Migratory animals are affected at this and higher levels; the aurora is commonly visible at high latitudes," the site noted about the G1-class' impact on Earth.
When the severity is categorized as "G4" or higher, people should expect "widespread voltage control problems" and "grid system blackouts."
Satellite navigation would be "degraded for days," and low-frequency radio navigation would most certainly be unavailable for many hours.
All of this increased activity on the sun's surface corresponds with unprecedented space activity from Earth, potentially affecting the number of commercial satellites in Earth's orbit that are vulnerable to solar eruptions.
According to The Independent, a huge geomagnetic storm knocked 40 recently launched SpaceX satellites out of orbit in February.
Spacecraft engineering businesses' best option for avoiding future satellite losses is to monitor space weather in real-time.
The sun produced the greatest solar flare in April when rogue sunspot AR2993 erupted twice in quick succession on April 25, resulting in "an overlapping pair of M1-class solar flares." SpaceWeather.com added.
Solar Problem Unveiled Through Models
In the early 2000s, new data revealed that the number of chemicals in the solar system had decreased, contrary to the predictions of astronomers' mainstream models.
These new ones have succeeded in many new analyses while being frequently questioned. Because they appeared to be right, it was up to the solar models to react, mainly because they are used as a research indication in astronomy.
A group of astronomers from UNIGE and Université de Liège have devised a new theoretical model that answers part of the problem. They were able to explain the chemical composition of the Sun by considering the solar cycle, which fluctuates over time, and the magnetic field it creates.
"The Sun is an astronomical star, so it is an important test of our understanding of stellar physics. We have a lot to measure its chemical composition, but also the dimensions of its internal structure, such as in the case of Earth because of earthquake science," said Patrick Eggenberger, a researcher at the University of Geneva's (UNIGE) Department of Astronomy and the study's primary author, per Galaxy Reporters.
According to Gal Bulgin, a researcher at UNIGE's astronomical department and co-author of the study, the typical solar model used so far looks at the star in a much simpler way. On one hand, in terms of chemical element transport on deeper layers, and on the other, in terms of rotation and internal magnetic fields. Until today, it had been utterly overlooked.
The UNIGE team's new solar model incorporates the rotating revolution, which may have been quicker in the past, and the magnetic field that produced it. The new model not only precisely forecasts helium saturation in the Sun's outer layers but also mirrors the previous lithium-resistant model.
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