Tuesday’s Solar Flares May Affect Us Tomorrow

Tuesday’s X1-class solar flare isn’t satisfied with silencing Earth’s radio communications only once this week.

According to the U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC), communications could go down again on Friday as a coronal mass ejection (CME) glances Earth. A CME is a burst of plasma associated with some solar flares that can cause polar geomagnetic storms.

The massive amounts of radiation that will be released from the impact is expected to disrupt communications for GPS devices, broadcasters, aviators, and weather stations.

NASA officials claim the sun’s activity is current at “its maximum.” They also report that this recent solar activity is weak compared to the solar activity in 2013.

Solar Flare Shockwave Aimed At Earth

NASA reported a series of three X-class solar flares over the last two days that have produced a coronal mass ejection that will strike Earth on Friday.

The CME is part of two X-class flares that struck Tuesday, a X 2.2 and X 1.5.  Both created a coronal ejection but the second moved fast enough to join the first and project it toward Earth.   The Wednesday flare, an X 1.0, caused disruption to radio signals for a brief time but did not cause a CME.

Officials with the Space Weather Prediction Center say that CME will strike Earth sometime Friday.  The strike is believed to be a “glancing blow” that will cause geomagnetic storms at the planet’s poles.

The CME will disrupt GPS signals and satellite communications.  The disruption will be worse on the daylight side of the planet during the solar strike.

NASA says the sun is now officially at the “solar maximum” of its 11-year cycle.  However, the scientists say this cycle’s solar max is significantly weaker than previous cycles.