Violent flare on the Sun: Earth will be hit hard

In a statement made by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), it was reported that a “Geomagnetic Storm” of this severity could be experienced for the first time since 2005 due to explosions on the surface of the Sun.

“It is highly likely that a severe (G4) geomagnetic storm will likely occur later in the day and continue into the weekend,” NOAA and the US Space Weather Prediction Center said.

The exact timing of the geomagnetic storm, whose effects are expected to be seen in the northern hemisphere, is still unclear, the statement said, adding that the storm could start from today and “may affect satellite communications and power systems”.

Stating that aurora borealis caused by the storm can be observed in the US states of Alabama and Northern California, scientists reminded the severe geomagnetic storm that occurred on the surface of the Sun in 2005 and emphasized that these are rare.


It was determined that the source of the geomagnetic storm caused by explosions on the Sun is a “large, complex cluster of sunspots” called “Region 3664” and covers an area 16 times the size of the Earth.

WARNING ISSUED BY NOAA
In NOAA's statement, noting the possible effects of the storm approaching the Earth, it was noted that “widespread voltage control problems may occur” and satellites in orbits may experience “friction, tracking and orientation problems”.

It was noted that the storm could disrupt satellite navigation systems and radio receiver frequencies, cause outages lasting hours, or cause some similar devices to stop working altogether.