NOAA Warns of Impending Solar Storm, NASA Predicts Further Disruption

The NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) detected an M2.5-class solar flare eruption on June 9 originating from the unstable sunspot AR3331, which is still visible from Earth. The eruption caused a brief radio blackout in Mexico and the southern USA and also released a coronal mass ejection (CME) cloud into space. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts that the CME cloud will hit Earth on June 13, causing a solar storm. Further information can be found by checking the details.

According to a SpaceWeather.com report, “NOAA forecasters say a CME could hit Earth’s magnetic field on June 13. It was thrown into space in an M2.5-magnitude explosion (movie) on June 9. A glancing blow could cause up to G1-magnitude geomagnetic storms.

A solar storm may disrupt the technology

Compared to some of the stronger solar storm events we’ve seen in previous months, this one isn’t expected to be too intense. But even small storms can cause serious damage. It can interfere with wireless communications and GPS services, causing problems for airlines, mariners, radio controllers and drone operators. A solar storm can delay flights, cause ships to change course, and disrupt any important information that is shared over these low-frequency channels. According to NOAA models, the CME will likely hit Earth in a few hours.

This is not the end of Earth’s problems either. NASA also spotted active regions on the far side of the Sun, and they are expected to collide with Earth this week. If they are still active and unstable, they could trigger new solar storm attacks on Earth.

NASA Tech Predicting Solar Storms

The NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) houses a full suite of instruments for observing the Sun, and has done so since 2010. It uses three very important instruments to collect data on various solar activities. They include the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI), which measures high-resolution longitudinal and vector magnetic fields across the entire visible solar disk, the Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE), which measures the sun’s extreme ultraviolet radiation, and the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly. AIA), which provides continuous full-disk observations of the solar chromosphere and corona in seven extreme ultraviolet (EUV) channels.