Earth Experiences 24 Hours of Terror as Solar Storm Approaches

As the equinox draws near on September 23, solar activities have once again become more active. It is well-known that during this time, the Earth experiences a higher occurrence of extreme solar activities due to the Earth’s magnetic poles aligning at a right angle with the Sun. In the past 24 hours, the Earth has encountered significant impacts from the Sun, including radio blackouts, solar flare eruptions, CME releases, and the potential for a solar storm to strike at any moment. Let’s examine the events that have unfolded during this short period and their implications for us.

Radio blackouts

According to information from SpaceWeatherLive’s X account, there were two separate shortwave radio power outages. The first struck at 1am today, centered in the Pacific Ocean and affecting both North and South America. The blackout was believed to be caused by an M1.08 solar flare.

The second one hit at 5 o’clock in the morning and its center was also in the Pacific Ocean. Fortunately, no land mass came under its influence. It was estimated to come from an M1.1 class solar flare.

Solar flares

As we all know shortwave radio blackouts are an after effect of a solar flare, two separate flares were also observed prior to the blackout. The first was estimated to come from the sunspot region AR3421 and had an intensity of M1.26. Another one also came from the same sunspot region and its intensity was M1.01.

The threat of a solar storm

SpaceWeatherLive also issued a warning about an upcoming solar storm yesterday. It posted: “Data from the DiscoVR satellite have detected signs of a coronal mass ejection trajectory. A sudden jump in the solar wind and IMF statistics have been detected as the plasma cloud passes the satellite. Geomagnetic conditions are expected to improve over the next 12-24 hours, depending on how the situation develops.”

This storm is expected to hit within a few hours. According to the data, it is not expected to be a major solar storm.