An X-class solar flare burst from the Sun on Wednesday, hurtling waves of solar energy to Earth. As a result, widespread shortwave radio blackouts were experienced across the dayside hemisphere. The source of the flare was sunspot AR3784, an object of some curiosity for scientists due to abnormalities in its magnetic field. This is because it does not follow Hale’s Law of sunspots having horizontal magnetic polarity but has them vertical instead. Vertical polarity at a spot is thought to be a key indicator for more substantial flaring.
AR3784 circles around to the Earth-facing side of the Sun during its 27-day rotation. Early on Wednesday, around 2:40 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (6:40 Coordinated Universal Time), this sunspot let loose an X-class flare. Energy from flares of this type can be among the strongest observed. It perturbed shortwave radio communication in Asia’s case because the energy was thrown directly toward our planet.
Massive eruptions of solar wind and magnetic fields that rise above the Sun’s corona are known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and solar flares this size have the potential to trigger them. Driven by the flare’s energy, these ejections can travel one to two days to Earth, where they may trigger geomagnetic storms. The Space Weather Prediction Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is keeping an eye out for any indications of a mild (G1) geomagnetic storm, which could produce breathtaking auroras.
These auroras, which are sometimes referred to as the Northern and Southern Lights, are caused by charged solar particles striking the magnetosphere of Earth and excitation of nitrogen and oxygen atoms in the atmosphere. Vibrant displays can be seen in the sky as these atoms emit light as they return to their normal condition. More solar flares, sunspots, and space weather events are anticipated in the upcoming months as the Sun approaches its solar maximum.
