NASA Warns of Potential Hazards from Double Solar Storm Impacting Earth Today
Today, the most significant cosmic occurrence of the week is set to take place. The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) of NASA recently identified two distinct coronal mass ejections originating from the Sun, both of which are predicted to partially impact the Earth. Dubbed the ‘double solar storm’ event, this phenomenon is scheduled to happen today, July 7, at approximately 5:30 PM IST/ 12 PM UTC, according to NASA. Researchers are particularly worried about this event as the combination of two separate CME strikes has the potential to significantly intensify the solar storm and result in unforeseen devastation.
Dr. Tamitha Skov, a space meteorologist and also known as the space weather woman, tweeted: “The Sun will launch a double #solarstorm on #July 4th! NASA forecast shows impact before noon on July 7th UTC. The first storm will be slower and move mainly to the northeast. The second will be faster and more direct hit. Fast solar wind follows.” He further added that a G1 storm is possible when the northern lights spread to mid-latitudes.
A double solar storm will hit Earth today
While early forecasts indicate a low to moderate chance of a solar storm, there is no way to say with certainty how powerful an event could be. Even if it ends up being moderate, such solar storms can still cause radio blackouts and disrupt GPS signals, although they are not strong enough to affect mobile networks or damage satellites.
Even after this event, another solar threat is forming for our planet. According to a report by Spaceweather.com, a new and large sunspot is now entering Earth’s view from the southeast part of the Sun. A helioseismic echo from the other side of the Sun suggests that the sunspot may be even larger than the AR3354 cluster, which exploded twice and caused an X-class solar flare.
Know about Hinode (Solar-B) satellite
Hinode (Solar-B) is a Japanese-led solar energy mission involving the European Space Agency (ESA). It was introduced on September 23, 2006 and is still in use today. The mission’s main goal is to study the mechanisms affecting the solar system and to search for reasons for strong solar flares.
Hinode carries a set of three science instruments. First, an optical telescope that images the Sun in visible light; second, an X-ray telescope that images the Sun as X-rays; and third, an extreme ultraviolet imaging spectrometer that measures the intensity of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light from the Sun.
These instruments are used to study the formation, transport and decay of magnetic energy from the photosphere to the corona. They are also used to record how the energy stored in the Sun’s magnetic field is released as the field rises into the Sun’s outer atmosphere.
