NOAA Warns of Potentially Powerful Solar Storm Caused by Approaching Coronal Mass Ejection

The X1.6-class solar flare that occurred on August 5 and released two strong coronal mass ejections (CME) has taken a more alarming turn. Recent findings from a NOAA model reveal that the two CME clouds have combined, with the faster one overtaking and absorbing the first. As a result, the merged entity has grown in strength. Even a slight impact from this cloud has the potential to trigger a severe solar storm. The most recent prediction indicates that the storm will reach Earth today, August 8, and may generate G3-class storms.

Details of the coming solar storm

According to a SpaceWeather.com report, “A new NOAA model shows that two CMEs will leave the Sun on August 5 and then merge into a single ‘cannibal CME’ that will strike Earth on August 8. Cannibal CMEs are famous for their powerful of the causes of geomagnetic storms, and even a glancing blow can be effective, in which case storm levels can reach G2 (moderate) with a small chance of G3 (strong).

At this time, it has not been confirmed whether the impact was a frontal collision or an onlooker impact. But scientists are watching the cloud closely to understand the situation.

A full-force strike can damage small satellites, affect mobile networks and GPS, and even pose a threat to ground-based electronics and power grids by vastly increasing the magnetic potential.

What is cannibal CME

Cannibal coronal mass eruptions (CMEs) occur when accelerating solar flares overtake previous flares in the same region of space and combine with charged particles to form a giant combined wavefront that triggers a powerful geomagnetic storm. This always has a higher electromagnetic output and can cause significant damage to satellites and communication systems.

More danger lurks on the horizon

Although the solar storm is over, things will not be quiet on our planet. An outgoing sunspot called AR3386 has exploded, creating a powerful X1-class sunspot yesterday, August 7. An extreme ultraviolet flash caused a shortwave radio blackout on the planet. It is currently unclear whether the CME released during the flare will hit Earth.

How NASA SOHO observes the Sun

NASA’s SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) is a space satellite launched on December 2, 1995 to observe the Sun. It is a joint project between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) that studies the sun, its atmosphere and its effects on the solar system. SOHO is equipped with 12 scientific instruments such as Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT), Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI), LASCO (Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph) and others. SOHO takes pictures of the sun’s corona, measures speed and magnetic fields. of the sun’s surface and observes the faint corona around the Sun.