Fears have been shared powerful solar flares caused by changes to the sun’s magnetic field could have ramifications to the Earth’s internet access as well as satellites in orbit
Powerful solar flares are feared to severely impact the world’s internet access next year, as well as damage satellites in orbit around our Earth home.
Every 11 years dark spots appear on the surface of the sun which are caused by changes to its magnetic field. A by-product of the phenomena – known as solar maximum – are explosions of energy fired at our planet home which cause solar storms which are powerful enough to disrupt life on the surface. A new study has shown the next solar maximum is likely to hit at some point in 2024 – bringing with it potentially dire consequences for us all.
Dr Dibyendu Nandi, a physicist from the IISER Kolkata Center of Excellence in Space Sciences in India, told MailOnline: “The most intense storms can sometimes result in catastrophic orbital decay of low Earth orbiting satellites and disrupt satellite based services such as communications and navigational networks.
“They can also induce strong disturbances in the geomagnetic field tripping electric power grids located in high latitude regions. Of course, they also create beautiful auroras so we can expect 2024 to be a good year for aurora hunters. The sun’s dipole field waxes and wanes roughly in antiphase with the sunspot cycle. During solar cycle minimum, when almost no sunspots are observed on the sun, the dipole field strength is maximum.”
Last year the sun spat out a huge solar flare and caused a freak solar event which caused a radio blackout on Earth. The rogue sunspot, dubbed AR2993, sputtered twice from the surface in rapid succession on Monday.
A solar flare is a brief eruption of energy-dense radiation from the surface of a star – which can disrupt radio and magnetic signals on Earth. Flares in the M-Class category are moderately sized, and have the potential to affect the Earth’s polar regions and radio frequencies. Last year’s eruption caused a minor radio blackout in South-East Asia and Australia, SpaceWeather reported.
According to a spokesman from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: “Tracking and predicting the Sun’s solar cycles gives a rough idea of the frequency of space weather storms of all types – from radio blackouts to geomagnetic storms and solar radiation storms – and it’s used by many industries to gauge the potential impact of space weather on Earth. Some grid systems may experience complete collapse or blackouts.”
Shambhu Kumar is a science communicator, making complex scientific topics accessible to all. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
