(ORDO NEWS) — Researchers have spotted a canyon-like hole in the Sun’s atmosphere and are predicting a solar wind ejection at 2.9 million km/h. It can happen tomorrow, Thursday, and cause magnetic storms in the atmosphere.
A solar flare on December 1 could create a magnetic storm in the Earth‘s atmosphere. That’s how strong it can be.
A coronal hole is a giant sunspot that extends into the center of the sun. Coronal holes are regions in the Sun’s upper atmosphere where the electrified gas (or plasma) of our star is less hot and dense than in other regions, making them appear black in contrast.
Around these holes, the Sun’s magnetic field lines, instead of looping back on themselves, point outward into space, and can blast solar material outward at speeds up to 2.9 million km/h.
Magnetic storm December 1
The storm that could hit Earth on Thursday is likely to be quite weak.
This is forecast to be a G-1 geomagnetic storm that could cause minor fluctuations in power grids and disrupt some satellite functions, including those for mobile devices and GPS systems.
It could also lead to the appearance of the aurora in the Southern Hemisphere. However, more extreme geomagnetic storms can have much more severe consequences.
They can not only bend the magnetic field of our planet enough to make satellites fall to Earth, but also disrupt electrical systems and even “cut down” the entire Internet.
Geomagnetic storms can also be triggered by two other forms of solar activity: coronal mass ejections (CMEs) or solar flares.
According to the Space Weather Prediction Center, debris erupting from the Sun as CMEs typically takes 15 to 18 hours to reach Earth.
Bright solar flares that can cause radio outages travel at the speed of light and reach Earth in just 8 minutes.
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