Scientists have warned about a solar flare that passed by Earth on Wednesday, June 15, that could cause a geomagnetic storm lasting for days. The coronal mass ejection (CME) was a "glancing blow" at 00:37 ET and was predicted to cause power outages, MailOnline reported.
CMEs can be triggered when a solar storm on the Sun's surface causes a whirlwind to form at the base of plasma loops called prominences. Also, prominences could break and release CME if they become unstable. The recent eruption resulted from a slow-moving solar flare recorded on Monday that lasted for eight hours and led to temporary radio blackouts.o
Astronomers at the Solar & Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) captured this image of a solar prominence erupting from the surface of the Sun on October 25, 2002. Two large prominences were spotted and one is shown here with the Earth in scale to demonstrate the immense size of this solar phenomenon.
Explosive Space Weather Produced Solar Flare
On Monday, astronomers from SpaceWeather.com recorded the explosion of a growing sunspot called AR3032 at 0:07 ET. It produced a solar flare that lasted almost eight hours and was registered as an M3.4, categorizing it as a medium-class solar outburst.
The scientists explained that the extreme ultraviolet radiation from the outburst caused the ionization of the top of the atmosphere, leading to temporary radio blackouts in Japan and Southeast Asia.
Furthermore, coronagraphs onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) also detected that the solar flare caused CME to hurl into space in the early hours of the morning. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) analysts predict it might be a glancing blow to Earth's magnetosphere, which SpaceWeather.com confirmed hitting the magnetic field on June 15.
An update from them showed that storms might happen in the hours before the Earth moves into the dense, magnetized flank of the CME. Meanwhile, the UK's Met Office explained that minor G1-class storms are likely to happen with a chance of a moderate G2. A geomagnetic storm is expected to ease after a while, although the arrival of the high-speed solar wind could increase G1 activity.
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Geomagnetic Storms by Rank
The NOAA Space Weather Scales have ranked geomagnetic storms as a way to communicate to the general public how they will likely affect the planet. These scales have been proven useful in describing space weather effects. They are numbered like hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes, corresponding to how often such events will happen and measuring their intensity.
- G1- Described as a minor geomagnetic storm that causes a weak impact on gridlines and satellites. But migratory animals can still be affected and can form aurora at high latitudes.
- G2- It is described as moderate with a chance f causing voltage alarms in high-latitude areas, while longer duration geomagnetic storms at G2 could cause damage to transformers.
- G3- A G3 classification means that the geomagnetic storm is strong enough to cause voltage corrections, and false alarms triggered on devices. Also, intermittent satellite navigation and low-frequency radio may occur, as well as aurora.
- G4- This signal warns of a severe geomagnetic storm that may cause possible widespread voltage control problems and disruption in low-frequency radio navigation. Aurora is also expected to be seen as low as California and Alabama.
- G5- The last scale describes an extreme geomagnetic storm that causes complete collapse of grid lines or blackouts, damaged transformers, problems in satellites, interrupted high-frequency radio propagation, impossible low-frequency navigation, and auroras as low as southern Texas and Florida.
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