Solar Flare ‘X-1’ Avoided, Cannibal Flare Fears Allayed

In the latest updates, Earth successfully avoided a potentially disastrous encounter with a solar flare known as a “cannibal.” However, the planet did experience the impact of a powerful solar storm that has the potential to disrupt communication systems.

Over the past few days, space weather forecasters have been sounding the alarm about the potential effects of several massive solar flares ejected from the Sun. Of particular concern was a “cannibal” solar flare that could touch Earth’s atmosphere, according to a report by the Independent.

The nature of “Cannibal” solar flares

A “cannibal” solar flare occurs when a later solar flare catches up with and engulfs an earlier ejected burst. Combining the energies of these two events results in an enhanced discharge, making them significantly more powerful than individual flares.

Nevertheless, the latest “cannibal” solar flare appears to have missed Earth. Initial predictions indicated that its trajectory would merely graze the planet, making a miss a plausible outcome.

The effect of the X-series flare

However, the Earth was not completely unscathed and was instead struck by an X-class flare capable of causing significant disruption to our planet.

This time the impact was enough to disrupt radio signals and navigation systems in North America. This outage was classified as an R3 blackout on a scale of 1-5. As a result, areas of the United States, Canada, and the Pacific were prone to interruptions in radio signals and navigation equipment.

The Sun follows an 11-year cycle of activity during which it produces varying amounts of “coronal mass ejections,” or CMEs. At the moment, the Sun is in a particularly active phase of this cycle. These CMEs are capable of generating energy that collides with Earth and poses potential threats such as disruptions to energy grids and critical infrastructure.

The magnitude of the recent outbreak

The latest flare, registered as X1.5, is the 20th X-class flare to hit Earth during the current solar cycle. The flare, originating from an unusually active region of the sun, followed a series of smaller eruptions, the UK Met Office said.

Despite this, experts have shown that the effect of the “small persistent solar radiation storm” is diminishing, and no significant disturbances are expected in the coming days.