NASA Warns of Impending Solar Storm: SOHO Detects High Sunspot Activity Heading Toward Earth
Solar activity remained relatively calm during the latter half of May and the first week of June. However, a radio blackout occurred earlier this week due to an M4.6-class solar flare produced by sunspot AR3327. While the sunspot has not erupted since, it is expected to dissipate like other Earth-facing sunspots. Nevertheless, the upcoming week may pose a threat to our planet as the NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) has detected numerous active sunspots on the far side of the Sun. Experts predict that this could result in a period of intense solar storms hitting Earth.
According to a SpaceWeather.com report, “Helioseismic maps of the far side of the Sun show several large active regions, probably sunspots. This means sunspot numbers should remain high as the Sun rotates on its axis in the coming weeks. Sunspots disappearing from Earth’s side will be replaced by distant counterparts.”
The threat of a solar storm on Earth
SpaceWeather also shared a helioseismic map of the Sun that shows the active regions that will encounter our planet in a few days. The map shows four different dark regions that highlight the possible instability of the Sun that can cause solar storms and solar flares. One of those areas is equal to the other three combined. This particular area is capable of sending a G5 class geomagnetic storm to Earth.
A strong solar storm can damage satellites, affect mobile networks and Internet connections, and cause a power grid failure. Although radiation does not directly affect people in terms of health, disruptions to emergency services and power outages in important places such as hospitals can still be quite destructive to technology-based infrastructure.
How NASA SOHO observes the Sun
NASA’s SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) is a satellite that was launched on December 2, 1995. 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. . 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 will take pictures of the solar corona, measure the sun’s speed and magnetic fields. surface of the sun and observes the faint corona around the sun.
