Source: The post is based on the article “Understanding solar flares: How explosions on Sun’s surface can lead to radio blackouts” published in Down To Earth on 6th July 2023
What is the News?
The Sun emitted an X-class solar flare disrupting radio communications over parts of the United States and the Pacific Ocean.
What are Solar Flares?
Source: Reuters
A solar flare is a tremendous explosion on the Sun that happens when energy stored in ‘twisted’ magnetic fields (usually above sunspots) is suddenly released.
They can heat a substance to several millions of degrees in a matter of minutes, producing a burst of radiation that spans the electromagnetic spectrum, from radio waves to x-rays and gamma rays.
Impact of Solar Flares: Solar Flares can affect radio communications, power grids and navigation signals and endanger astronauts and spacecraft.
Categories: Solar flares can be divided into various categories based on their brightness in X-ray wavelengths.
– X-class flares are large, significant events that have the power to cause global radio blackouts and persistent radiation storms in the upper atmosphere.
– Medium-sized M-class flares typically result in brief radio blackouts that affect the Earth’s polar regions. Sometimes an M-class flare is followed by small radiation storms.
– C-class flares are slight and have little effect on the Earth.
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