Solar Flare Eruption Headed Towards Earth – Will It Impact?

On September 11, two M-class solar flares occurred on the side of the Sun facing Earth. The second flare resulted in a significant coronal mass ejection (CME) being released into space. NASA’s Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) data reveals that this CME originated from the well-known sunspot region AR3429, which has recently become visible from Earth. The CME’s trajectory suggests that it could potentially affect Earth, causing a solar storm. However, the question remains: will it make direct contact?

According to a report by SpaceWeather.com, the CME is unlikely to hit Earth. It stated: “A new sunspot, AR3429, erupted this morning on September 11 (0128 UT), producing an M1.3 class sunspot and plasma wave over the sun’s northeast. SOHO coronagraphs observed a fast-moving CME rising from the explosion site. At first, it appeared to be at the edge of Earth’s shock zone , and was set to receive a flashing blip later this week, but a new model from NASA shows the CME is missing Earth.

It should be noted that none of these models can predict CME trajectories with 100 percent accuracy, but they are mostly correct. This means that it is unlikely that this particular cloud of solar material will disturb the Earth. But if you thought the danger from the Sun was over, you’d be wrong.

The solar flares continue

SpaceWeatherLive posted on X revealing another solar flare that occurred on the night of September 11th. The flare was observed to be of M1.1 magnitude, and it is unclear whether it triggered the CME or not. However, the extreme ultraviolet radiation caused a radio blackout in much of North America and all of South America. During this time, radio amateurs, drone pilots, mariners and emergency workers were likely to encounter interference on low-frequency communication channels.

To make matters worse, on September 12 at 10 a.m., another radio outage was observed over Australia, New Zealand, and the eastern region of China. The origin of this is still unknown, but it is expected to be another moderate M class solar flare. This shortwave radio outage is currently underway and people working on low frequency wavelengths are asked to wait until the effect of solar radiation passes.

As solar observatories check the CMEs released during these two events, we should be able to give you updates on future solar storms in a timely manner.