Sun spits out biggest solar flare in years causing communications chaos on Earth

15 December 2023 , 17:07

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The Earth is expected to experience disruption due to the massive solar flare (Image: Getty Images/Science Photo Library RF)

The biggest solar flare in years has knocked out radio communication on parts of Earth and more disruption is expected, according to scientists.

The huge flare from the Sun on Thursday is said to be the biggest since 2017 and resulted in two hours of radio interference across sunlit parts of the world. Numerous pilots reported communication disruptions, according to the US government's Space Weather Prediction Centre. And the radiation impacting the planet also caused temporary radio blackouts across South America.

The massive class X flare, which is the biggest the Sun is capable of, can still cause more havoc, according to the Met Office, with a massive solar storm expected to hit the planet around December 17. Scientists saw the moment the class X2.8 solar flare burst from the Sun's surface and said the activity was the strongest since the huge X8.2 flare of September 2017.

Solar storms can have major impact on communications networks and power grids (NASA/SDO)

Scientists are now monitoring this sunspot region and analysing for a possible outburst of plasma from the sun, also known as a coronal mass ejection, directed at Earth. The eruption occurred in the far northwest section of the Sun, according to the centre.

Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory caught the action in extreme ultraviolet light, recording the powerful surge of energy as a huge, bright flash. Launched in 2010, the spacecraft is in an extremely high orbit around Earth, where it constantly monitors the sun. The sun is nearing the peak of its 11-year or so solar cycle. Maximum sunspot activity is predicted for 2025.

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According to the Daily Mail, Dr Alexi Glover, space weather service co-ordinator for the European Space Agency, said: "Yesterday’s solar flare is the largest of the solar cycle so far and also the largest we have seen since 2017. We are still analysing the event, but early reports are indicating that this did impact radio communications for a short period on 14th."

Solar flares occur when the Sun's powerful magnetic fields become tangled together by currents of super-heated gas. When the energy stored in these fields is released, massive amounts of material are heated to millions of degrees. Yesterday's flare was released from a sunspot called AR 3514 which in itself is bigger than Earth.

Solar flares are ranked from A to X, with A being the least powerful and X the most powerful. That classification is then subdivided with numbers, with an X2 being twice as powerful as an X1. When the solar particles hit the Earth's magnetic field they interact, and produce electrical currents. which can flow through power grids and have the potential to spark massive power outages.

Paul Donald