Concerns Raised Over Possible Solar Storm Impact on Earth Following Sunspot Discovery

Following a period of relative calm, the Sun is once again preparing for a period of heightened solar activity. Over the past four days, the sunspots on the side of the Sun facing Earth have been gradually dissipating without any explosive events. However, a new sunspot region called AR3405, which will soon be visible from Earth, is not following the same pattern. This sunspot has already experienced an explosion and is believed to be filled with M-class solar flares. Each of these flares has the potential to release a significant coronal mass ejection (CME) and trigger a major solar storm on Earth. The upcoming days are expected to be worrisome for our planet.

According to a SpaceWeather.com report, “A new sunspot (AR3405) is emerging above the sun’s northeast and appears to pose a threat to M-class solar flares. A few hours ago, it was just a percentage point below M-class. The same explosion threw a bright CME into space.” It also revealed that NASA models have predicted that the CME will miss Earth and hit Mercury instead.

solar storm scares the earth

The number of sunspots is directly proportional to the intensity of the solar peak. The previous solar cycle was considered mild because the difference between solar maximum and solar minimum (the period of the solar cycle when the Sun’s activity is at its lowest) was very small.

But new data on sunspot counts for January 2023 show that Earth will experience an unpredictable solar maximum this time around, and it could cause violent solar storms in the coming months.

These eruptions, also called solar flares, occur in the middle of sunspots, which are regions of unstable magnetic fields on the Sun’s surface. So the more sunspots there are, the greater the chance of solar storms.

Although it is impossible to predict how severe the peak of this solar cycle will be, a particularly violent phase was observed in 1859, when the Earth suffered the worst solar storm in history. It is now known as the Carrington event. Such a solar storm today can cause terrifying damage. It can interfere with GPS, disrupt mobile networks and the Internet, and even cause a massive blackout by corrupting power grids. No electronic device on Earth is safe from such a solar storm.