Solar storm threat for Earth rises after a helix CME was seen shooting out of the Sun

With the equinox approaching on September 23, solar activities have picked up again. It is known that during this period, the Earth suffered due to a higher frequency of extreme solar activities due to the magnetic poles of the Earth making a right angle with the Sun. And in the last 24 hours, the Earth has witnessed some intense blows from the Sun. There have been instances of radio blackouts, solar flare eruptions, CME releases, and a possible solar storm that can strike the Earth at any given time. So, let us take a look at what has happened in this brief period and how it affects us.

After an unexpected solar storm event in the late night of September 2, that extended well into the morning of September 3, many scientists believe that such solar activities will now continue to increase till the equinox on September 23. During equinoxes, the Earth's magnetic poles (north and south) are at right angles to the solar wind. This makes the solar wind stronger, which can cause stronger magnetic storms. To increase the troubles, a new sunspot, AR3421, has also emerged directly in view of the Earth. The sunspot contains a mixed polarity magnetic field that can often create powerful solar flare eruptions. In case a large enough coronal mass ejection (CME) is released during the event, it can trigger a destructive solar storm.,

A solar storm is heading for Earth today and the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) of the National Weather Service has issued a Geomagnetic Storm Watch for today, September 3, 2023. On this day, Earth may experience a G1 level geomagnetic storm, the mildest on the 1-5 scale. While this geomagnetic storm could cause some aurora displays and minor disruptions in electrical grids, navigation, and communication systems, it is not expected to be a severe event, according to spaceweather.com

In just a few hours, India's first-ever space mission to study the Sun and the space weather, Aditya-L1, will take off. Once it completes its long journey to its destination of the L1 Lagrange point, it will begin observing the Sun using the seven payloads that will collect data from it. Apart from observing the Sun, its corona, and its dynamic patterns, it will also study space weather, in particular the effect of solar winds and coronal mass ejection (CME) in causing solar storms. Understanding this phenomenon is crucial, as it contains the destructive potential to damage all satellites in space. In fact, it did exactly that in February 2022 when Elon Musk's SpaceX lost 40 of its Starlink satellites to solar storms.

Auroras, commonly known as Northern Lights, are a rare sky phenomenon that result in stunning streaks of colourful light in the sky near the polar regions. However, there are instances where these flashing lights have also appeared across the world, especially if the solar storm that causes them is of strong intensity. Recently, people on a flight to Europe bore witness to a mesmerizing aurora that was snapped by a user, and the social media post has gone viral since then.

The last ten days have been quite uneventful in terms of Earth-directed solar activity. This was strange given there are still 6 sunspot regions present on our planet's side of the Sun. And even as the Sun nears the peak of its solar cycle in 2025, the last month has passed without any significant eruptions. But with September coming in, solar activities have again picked up. Recently, a massive magnetic filament erupted in the northern hemisphere of the Sun. The eruption resulted in a large cloud of coronal mass ejection (CME) being hurled at the Earth. NASA has confirmed that the CME will strike our planet on September 2.

As we approach the solar maximum, the Sun's output is expected to increase in the coming months. As per NASA, the solar minimum occurred in 2019, which also marked the start of the solar maximum, a period where we could see the greatest number of sunspots. It is expected to peak in 2025 and the Sun could unleash CMEs, solar flares, solar storms, and other particles towards Earth with potentially disastrous consequences. Astonishingly, experts have revealed that the Sun has already exceeded the predicted number of sunspots that were expected in the current solar maximum.

In an intriguing celestial observation, NASA's Perseverance Rover on Mars has captured a striking view of a massive sunspot, signalling a region of heightened solar solar activity on the far side of the Sun. This sunspot is rotating to face the Earth and the likelihood of a solar storm has just increased manifold.

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Over the past few months, as the volatility of the Sun increases, solar flares have been in the news constantly. Do you know what they are and how can they affect us? The Sun has been putting on a dazzling display of its power, and it's only going to get more exciting as we approach the peak of Solar Cycle 25, expected around 2025. But what's all the fuss about? Well, the Sun has some incredible phenomena like solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs), that can affect us here on Earth. They are said to even affect electric infrastructure on Earth.

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A new sunspot has entered the Earth-facing side of the Sun, and it appears to be crackling with solar flares. Luckily, so far it has not exploded, but it cannot be said just how long it will stay the same way. And perhaps that's why today's solar storm forecast has included a chance of an X-class solar flare eruption as well as the possibility of radio blackouts due to solar winds passing. It remains to be seen whether any eruptions today can release a coronal mass ejection (CME) towards the Earth and cause a further solar storm threat.