An unexpected solar flare burst from a sunspot caused a temporary loss of radio signals, and blackouts in some parts of the Southern hemisphere, particularly in New Zealand and Australia.
Spaceweather.com reported that the solar flare came with a coronal mass ejection (CME) that did not hit Earth. It is an M5-class or medium-strength flare recorded by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory as it erupted from the sunspot AR3141 at 7:11 p.m. ET on Sunday, November 6, and hit Earth's magnetosphere the following day.
Medium-Intensity Solar Flare Hits Earth's Magnetosphere That Resulted in Loss of Radio Signals, Blackouts in New Zealand and Australia
Surprise M5-Class Solar Flare
Sunspots are dark regions on the Sun where powerful magnetic fields knot into kinks before exploding, releasing energy that launches bursts of radiation or solar flare and CME. According to Live Science, the recent solar flare was from the sunspot AR 3141, which has grown massively within 24 hours.
SpaceWeatherLive apologized on Twitter for not giving any warning regarding the space event as it was unexpected and impulsive. Based on the NOAA classification of solar flares, ranging from A, B, C, M, and X, the recent solar flare is an M5. Each category of intensity has 10 times the intensity of the last category.
Usually, X-rays and ultraviolet radiation from solar flares ionize atoms upon hitting the upper atmosphere of Earth, making them bounce off in high-frequency radio waves and create a blackout.
These radio blackouts occur in many places lit by the Sun during the solar flare. Its effects are classified from R1 to R5, depending on their severity. The solar flare on Monday was considered to be an R2 blackout.
SpaceX experienced the effects of excess energy from solar flares earlier this year, as well as when power grids experienced energy surges and outages. Meanwhile, the recent solar flare caused some disruption of the upper atmosphere that resulted in the loss of radio signals and blackouts in the South Pacific region over New Zealand and Australia.
READ ALSO: Is Sun's Solar Flare Powerful Enough to Wipe Out All Life on Earth?
More Solar Activity is to Be Expected in the Coming Months and Years
Scientists have been monitoring the sunspot since it erupted and are keeping a close eye for more activity as it grows larger. Interesting Engineering reports that the sunspot has also released a CME that carries material along with radiation but luckily, it was not directed toward Earth.
Aside from the recent M-class solar flare, the sunspot has also released a C-class solar flare and they predict that another C-class flare will occur within 24 hours and less than 5% of M-class flares.
After that solar flare, the rest of the day went smoothly and comparatively silent. But scientists are expecting more action on November 8 to 9 after discovering as many as six active regions in a straight line along the Sun's northern hemisphere.
The Sun's activity over these past years has been expected as it undergoes a major change during its 11-year cycle. When the cycle enters its active phase, more solar activity is expected in the coming months and years.
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