Solar storm: NASA captures the moment a sunspot 'explodes'
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info
A huge eruption of filament from the Sun’s outer layer on May 7 has shot out an alarming coronal mass ejection (CME) that is set to strike Earth’s magnetic field, which could spark solar storms once it arrives. A CME is a huge bubble of plasma shot out from the Sun which contain billions of tons of fast-moving solar particles as well as the magnetic field that binds them.
NOAA analysts have warned that the incoming CME might deliver a “glancing blow” to Earth’s magnetic field on May 10, with possible minor geomagnetic storms a potential consequence of the rapid solar wind’s impact.
US Space Weather Center (SWPC) ranks solar storms on a scale of “G1 Minor”, the least intense, all the way up to “G5 Extreme”.
But even the weakest of storms threaten “power-grid fluctuations” and have a “minor impact on satellite operations”.
This is a breaking story. More to follow.
Source: Read Full Article
