Unstable sunspots could hurl out X-class solar flares! Know the solar storm danger

Like asteroids, solar flares also pose a threat to Earth. Strong solar flares can cause power and radio blackouts for several hours or even days, spark auroras, give people in airplanes a dose of radiation and can even influence elections! Technological instruments are especially at a risk during flares. This is because when cosmic rays strike Earth, they release various particles like energetic neutrons, muons, pions and alpha particles. Although these particles do not affect the human body, they can pass-through integrated circuits and cause damage, often changing the data stored in the memory. With the solar maximum approaching in the next few years, the Sun's activity is expected to rise, and it could result in more solar flares.

Did you know AMC makes video games? The television network responsible for Mad Men, Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead has a full-blown publishing label for video games, and it’s shepherded four titles to market since 2020. Its first was a real-time flight simulator from the NYU Game Center Incubator called Airplane Mode, which trapped players in the window seat of a commercial airliner for six literal hours, complete with the small luxuries and major annoyances of actually flying coach. AMC’s IFC channel even produced the in-flight safety video for that game.

Yesterday, it was reported that a co-rotating interaction region (CIR) was forming near the magnetosphere of the Earth due to the intermixing of slow and fast-moving solar winds. The situation is set to worsen today, October 13, as fresh solar winds escaping from a worm-like coronal hole will soon strike the Earth and trigger a powerful solar storm event. This event is expected to take place just before the annular solar eclipse occurs in the early hours of October 14.

Battlefield 2042 Season 6, “Dark Creations,” launched earlier this week and you don’t have to drop a penny to try out the new content. EA and DICE have announced there will be a free-play weekend from today (October 12) until October 16, during which you’ll have access to the entire game, with the exception of the Season 6 premium battle pass. All progress made during the weekend will carry over should you decide to purchase the game (which is a whopping 84 percent off on Steam and other platforms).

The Earth this month has seen quite a few impacts due to the solar activities on the Sun, including a couple of solar flare eruptions and consequent radio blackouts, but so far we have not seen any solar storm events. But that is expected to change later today, October 12, as a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecast has revealed that our planet is likely to be hit by a co-rotating interaction region (CIR) that can spark a solar storm event. Know the likely impact of this solar storm, and why events like CIR occur.

If you've been curious about the recent surge in solar activity, it's important to understand that scientists have forecast the upcoming peak of the current solar cycle for mid-2025. This peak, referred to as the Solar Maximum, signifies the period when solar activity reaches its zenith within the 12-year cycle. This also explains the occurrence of two distinct solar flare events in the last 24 hours, both of which resulted in radio blackouts on Earth. And now, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) has spotted a troublesome sunspot with a strong delta charge that can explode anytime and hurl an Earth-directed coronal mass ejection (CME) to spark intense solar storm activity.

Middletown, DE, USA — October 9, 2023 — Babubi Games, an independent game development studio freshly founded by promising popular artist Hikanart and visionary game designer Alex Streltsov, is thrilled to announce that The Heirloom, its debut mysterious thriller adventure game inspired by the atmosphere of the Hebrides and Scottish folklore, has successfully raised over $60.000 and is confidently heading towards achieving the next stretch goal. Only 72 hours to go! https://www.youtube.com/embed/6TsJnfGcRsE?si=taqWMe8447TXBPqE?wmode=transparentTHE CAMPAIGN offers over 40 unique rewards across 12 tiers. Among them is a limited Collector’s Edition of The Heirloom, available exclusively on Kickstarter. This special edition features a hand-painted 6″ (15 cm) figure of Marla, the game’s protagonist, along with other fantastic physical rewards. There are still 3 days left until the campaign ends!The Heirloom project page unveils numerous previously unknown details, offering an extended glimpse of the game world, and features voice stars such as Rebecca Wang (known for Guillermo del Toro’s Tales of Arcadia, Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous, Blue Eye Samurai (Netflix), Steps (Netflix)) and Andy Mack (known for Evil West, Dying Light 2, Foolish Mortals, Postal 4) in leading roles.The Heirloom Kickstarter Campaign Link:https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/babubigames/the-heirloom?ref=emb7jm  

Despite multiple close calls, we have been quite lucky when it comes to solar storms. Even as multiple solar flares have erupted over the last 10 days, only one released a coronal mass ejection (CME) that made its way to the Earth. However, things can now change with the latest eruption that took place in the sunspot region AR3452. The NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory detected the eruption, and as per reports, it took place on the eastern limb of the Sun. If there was any CME directed towards the Sun, there would be another solar storm event in the next 48 hours.

The Sun's activity is expected to increase in the coming months as we approach the Solar Maximum, the period in the solar cycle where activity is at its peak. It is expected to arrive in 2024 or 2025, and the number of sunspots has already exceeded previous predictions. During this peak, the planet could face CMEs, solar flares, solar storms, and other particles with potentially disastrous consequences. In a new development, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), which carries a full suite of instruments to observe the Sun, has recently revealed that Earth could be in the firing line of a sunspot and dangerous solar flares could be hurled out that could have the potential to wreak havoc.

The list of great horror movies to watch can be daunting, and finding the best titles in the tangled mess of streaming services makes things ever harder. But this Halloween, you can simplify the entire spooky movie process by checking out a few horror classics streaming for free on services like Freevee and Tubi.

Yesterday, it was reported that October could see the same amount of solar activity as the previous month. Currently, there are eight different active sunspot regions on the Earth-facing side of the Sun, and any one of them exploding could send terrifying coronal mass ejections (CME). In fact, that is what happened on October 3, when a sunspot exploded and caused a solar flare to erupt, which in the process, hurled a massive CME towards the Earth. Now, as per a NOAA forecast, this CME is expected to strike our planet on Saturday, October 7. Further, NASA has also shared a video of the event that shows the scary moment when the explosion takes place and the CME releases.

Yesterday, an unstable sunspot named AR3450 was spotted coming towards the Earth. It was estimated that any explosions within this region that could lead to a coronal mass ejection (CME) would be geoeffective and could lead to a solar storm event. However, it has not gone off so far and no solar flare activity has been noted. While astrophysicists are keeping an eye on it, a new report has highlighted that the month of September witnessed as many as three separate solar storm events, with two of them being significantly intense to the point of reaching the mid-latitude regions. With the peak of the 11-year Solar Cycle, the Solar Maximum, approaching soon, will the month of October be worse? We take a look at the data from the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) to know what's coming our way.