Seven Day . Seven flares . Is the end of times upon us ?
A week ago , the Sun unleashed its great solar flare inmore than a decade , a monster X9.3 storm that pink out radio communication on Earth . This was the second of the week , but the Sun was just getting started .
Over the next few days , flair after flare catch fire from the Sun , all from the same region – AR 2673 . Yesterday ’s X8.2 flare was the most recent , causing theSpace Weather Prediction Center(SWPC ) to egress its late in a string of warnings .
These flares were accompanied by coronal mass expulsion ( CMEs ) , vast outbreak of starring material that can have geomagnetic storms on Earth . These can handicap satellites in orbit and put astronauts in peril , along with creatingpowerful aurorae .
curiously though , the Sun is lead towards the solar lower limit – its catamenia of least activity . So what ’s going on , and why has it been so active ?
“ This is not rare , ” Rodney Viereck from NOAA tell IFLScience . “ When an active region emerges it sometimes raise several flares over the row of hours to days . ”
The pass up phase of the 11 - yr solar cycle is actually statistically the most probable time to see the big solar case , like large solar flares . So this is really not that strange .
“ All of these solar flare and the associated solar energetic atom and geomagnetic storms at this phase of the solar cycle simply means that the Sun is bear normally , ” pronounce Viereck .
Phew .
That being said , solar flares can pose a danger to us . They can make layer in the ionosphere that assimilate radio Wave , preclude things like airlines and emergency services communicating on gamy - frequency wireless .
They can also increase radiation levels for cosmonaut and even passengers on airlines . With this late flare , the SWPC warn astronaut on the International Space Station ( ISS ) not to go outside on anyspacewalks .
realm 2673 has now rotate out of aspect from Earth , so it wo n’t be institutionalize any more CMEs our agency . But these event highlight that , when it want to , the Sun can put on a hell of a show . And we always need to be prepared for when it does .
“ Geomagnetic storms can induce additional unwanted current on electric power lines and , in uttermost cases , destroy prominent electric transformers and bring down portion of the galvanising power gridiron , ” said Viereck .
“ On the bright side geomagnetic violent storm give rise aurora , which is one of the only way that the general public can experience space weather . ”
For now though , we can reside soft .
