Largest Solar Flare in Years Causes Temporary Radio Signal Disruptions on Earth

A telescope from NASA has captured the most significant solar flare in years, causing a temporary disruption in radio communication on Earth. The sun emitted this substantial flare, accompanied by a massive radio burst, resulting in two hours of radio interference in parts of the U.S. and other sunlit regions globally.

According to scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), it marks the most significant flare since 2017, and the extensive radio burst affected even higher frequencies. This event led to one of the most substantial solar radio occurrences ever documented, as noted by Shawn Dahl of NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center on Friday.

Multiple pilots reported communication disruptions, impacting various parts of the country. Scientists are currently monitoring the sunspot region and assessing the potential for a coronal mass ejection, a surge of plasma from the sun, directed at Earth. This could result in a geomagnetic storm, potentially disrupting high-frequency radio signals in higher latitudes and triggering northern lights or auroras in the coming days.

The eruption occurred in the far northwest section of the sun, and NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured the intense burst of energy in extreme ultraviolet light. Launched in 2010, the spacecraft orbits Earth at an extremely high altitude, providing constant monitoring of the sun. As the sun approaches the peak of its approximately 11-year solar cycle, maximum sunspot activity is anticipated in 2025.

This article is republished from PhysORG under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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