Solar Storm Warning: Sun Emits Giant Sunspots That Could Destroy Internet

As the Sun approaches the midpoint of its 11-year solar cycle, solar activity, and production increase again.

Since the Sun advances in its cycle, additional solar flares are anticipated, as Earth has recently seen several of them.

Sun Seen Emitting Solar Flare Once Again

Reports citing spaceweather.com mentioned that a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) has just been emitted from the Sun, sending solar debris rushing toward the planet.

As these CMEs approach the globe, a geomagnetic storm warning has also been issued.

After being in an unstable state for the previous few days, sunspot AR3112 burst earlier this week, sending out a powerful M-1 class solar flare.

Sunspots, which may grow and disappear over days or weeks, are described by NASA as black regions on the solar surface containing intense magnetic fields continually fluctuating.

They appear when powerful magnetic fields penetrate the solar surface and permit slight cooling.

Additionally, a solar flare with an X rating may have been unleashed.

According to the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), this solar flare was expected to hit Earth. Still, the data stream was cut off before it could be analyzed entirely.

Solar flares are categorized according to their severity using the letters of the alphabet, with "A" being the least intense and "X" is the most hazardous.

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Geomagnetic Storm to Cause Internet Apocalypse

There has been mounting evidence recently that the Earth's internet infrastructure and space weather might be destroyed.

Scientists know solar magnetic storms can affect satellites orbiting our globe and result in power outages.

Live Science cited the 2019 Becky Chambers novella "To Be Taught, If Fortunate," which describes how a powerful solar storm destroys the internet on Earth.

A crew of astronauts left alone in space without a method to contact Earth is the subject of the fictitious story.

According to Matthew Owens, a solar physicist at the University of Reading in the UK, an internet apocalypse must be caused by a significant catastrophe.

Owens added it is more likely to take out electricity grids, which has previously happened on a limited scale.

Along with the hypothetical apocalypse scenario, several electrical and communication disruptions might happen if it does happen.

Solar Storms Explained

When the Sun of our Solar System emits a powerful burst of electromagnetic radiation, solar storms or space weather develop.

The three most well-known forms of solar storms are coronal mass ejections, solar flares, and solar winds (CMEs).

Additionally, geomagnetic storms, solar radiation storms, and radio blackouts are a few of the space weather risks brought on by these solar phenomena.

According to the Space Weather Prediction Center, solar radiation storms occur when a large-scale magnetic eruption, which frequently results in CME and solar flare, accelerates charged particles in the solar environment to extremely high velocities.