Radio blackouts have been reported over parts of the US after to the sun released a powerful stream of energized particles toward Earth early Wednesday morning.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) showed disruptions over the Midwest and eastern regions of the nation at around 10:36am ET.
NOAA also reported the interference could be impacting radar, GPS and satellite communications.
DailyMail.com reported Tuesday that the agency had predicted a 60 percent chance of radio blackouts, which is expected to linger into the weekend.
Radio blackouts have been reported over parts of the US after to the sun released a powerful stream of energized particles toward Earth early Wednesday morning
The sunspot that launched the stream is the same region that caused the superstorm earlier this month.
The event was set to be one of the worst in history, sparking NOAA to issue an alert – the first of its kind since 2005.
The event disrupted GPS, power grids, farming equipment and satellites in orbit.
The spot, which is much colder than the surrounding surface of the sun, spent the past two weeks moving away from Earth – but it reappeared in our planet’s view again this week.
NOAA held a briefing earlier this month when the world was under a severe geomagnetic storm, which is a major disturbance of Earth’s magnetosphere, and acknowledged that the sunspot will likely return for another round.
Over the last 24 hours, solar activity has been deemed ‘moderate,’ releasing at least 21 flares with the two powerful ones launching in the early hours of Wednesday
Over the last 24 hours, solar activity has been deemed ‘moderate,’ releasing at least 21 flares with the two powerful ones launching in the early hours of Wednesday.
NOAA’s dashboard currently shows a 60 percent chance of radio blacks for Wednesday through at least Friday, with a 10 percent likelihood of solar radiation storms.
Solar radiation storms occur when large quantities of charged particles, protons and electrons, are accelerated by processes at or near the sun.
When these processes occur, the near-Earth satellite environment is bathed with high energy particles.
The particles can interact with our planet’s magnetic field and atmosphere, causing disruptions to satellite communications, as well as radiation hazards for astronauts in space and interference with power grids.
Also predicted this week are stunning auroras, which are likely to be visible in the northern hemisphere.
The sun currently has eight active sunspots on its Earth-facing side.
NOAA reported that two regions, 3691 and 3697, could launch higher than normal flares this week.
Dr. Thomas Hughes is a UK-based scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to readers. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
