YouTube / Astronomy Read also: Solar storms observed in 1582 could hit the earth again and cause damage, scientists warn It was first mentioned by Space.com, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory witnessed the event at multiple wavelengths. The flare was categorized as M3.4 (mid-range) and yet it was strong enough to cause intermittent radio interruptions in the Asia-Pacific region. For those who do not know, solar flares are divided into three categories – C, M and X with C being the weakest and X being the strongest and most influential. This recent incident was also linked to a coronary mass ejection (CME) – a huge cloud of superheated plasma erupting from the solar surface at extreme speeds. This was recorded by both NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory and the Solar Sun Observatory (a NASA / ESA probe sent in 1995). What is surprising is that both spacecraft proved to be complementary, despite their different orbits. For those unfamiliar, SOHO orbits the Sun at Lagrange Point 1 – a gravitationally fixed point about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth in the direction of the Sun.
What are solar flares and CMEs?
According to NASA, a solar flare is an intense burst of radiation that comes from the release of magnetic energy associated with sunspots. These are considered to be some of the biggest explosive events in our solar system. These are essentially giant bursts of X-rays and energy that travel at the speed of light in all directions of the solar system. Coronal Mass Ejections, or CMEs, on the other hand, are massive clouds of particles pushed into space by the Sun’s atmosphere. The outer solar atmosphere, called the corona, is made up of strong magnetic fields. In places where these fields are closed, the solar atmosphere can spontaneously release gas bubbles and magnetic fields, which are called coronary mass bursts. YouTube / Astronomy Read also: Why do solar storms occur? How to protect the Internet, life on Earth from solar storms CMEs can contain a billion tons of matter and can be thrown out at several million miles an hour in a huge explosion. Explosions are capable of creating a collision with any planet or spaceship in its path. They reach Earth in about two to three days, but only when the cloud is targeting the Earth during an explosion. Watch the amazing solar activity below For more on the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.
