Earth Faces Major Geomagnetic Storm Following Powerful Solar Flare
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A strong geomagnetic storm is expected to hit Earth this week after a massive solar flare erupted from the sun, potentially causing disruptions to radio communications, power grids, and satellites.
The sunspot AR3842, a rapidly growing area of intense magnetic fields, erupted on Tuesday evening around 6 p.m. ET, generating the second-most powerful solar flare in the past five years.
This flare, classified as an X7.1, caused a shortwave radio blackout over Hawaii and sent a coronal mass ejection (CME) of solar plasma and high-energy particles into space.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts that the CME will collide with Earth on October 5, potentially triggering a geomagnetic storm. Such storms can disrupt power grids, damage satellites, and cause radio blackouts.
NASA reports that X-class flares are the most powerful type, with the potential to cause widespread disruptions. Tuesday’s flare is the second-largest since the sun entered its 25th solar cycle in December 2019.
Solar cycles, which last about 11 years, are driven by fluctuations in the sun’s magnetic field. The sun is currently in a highly active phase known as solar maximum.
In May, an X8.9 flare—the largest of this solar cycle so far—was recorded. Tuesday's flare also sent radiation through Earth's magnetosphere, ionizing the upper atmosphere and causing a temporary radio blackout above the Pacific Ocean.
NASA predicts that the CME from Tuesday’s flare will reach Earth between Saturday and Sunday. When CMEs interact with Earth's magnetosphere, they can cause geomagnetic storms, which may produce auroras visible at unusually low latitudes.
NOAA has issued a geomagnetic storm watch from October 3 to October 5, with the storm classified between G1 (minor) and G3 (strong).
Scientists note that the increased solar activity in 2024 suggests that the solar maximum arrived earlier than anticipated. Initially, it was predicted to peak in 2025, but the sun's activity intensified sooner.
So far in 2024, the sun has produced 41 X-class flares—more than in the last nine years combined. With the solar maximum expected to last into 2025, more intense solar flares, CMEs, and geomagnetic storms are likely to affect Earth in the coming months.